Obituary: James R. Gillespie

Services for James R. Gillespie, 73, Leavenworth, will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 22, 2006, at St. Casimir Catholic Church in Leavenworth. Burial with military honors will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery in Tonganoxie.

Mr. Gillespie died Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006, at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. He was born Sept. 10, 1933, in Kansas City, Mo., the son of Horace and Kathleen (McVeigh) Gillespie.

Mr. Gillespie graduated from Tonganoxie High School in 1952. He served in the Marines from 1952 to 1956. He graduated from Kansas University with a master’s degree in 1965.

He worked at Fort Leavenworth most of his life: 1960 to 1966 as an elementary school teacher, 1966 to 1972 as a guidance counselor at the Army Education Center, 1972 to 1974 as an employee development specialist in the Civilian Personnel Office, 1976 to 1991 as an education service officer at the Army Education Center and 1991 to 1993 as manager of the Army Career and Alumni Program. In 1993, he retired from Federal Civil Service. From 1996 until his death he returned to service as a contractor working as a guidance counselor at the Army Education Center.

Mr. Gillespie was a member of the Leavenworth Country Club.

He married Wilma Denholm on March 30, 1957. She survives, of the home.

Other survivors include a son, Mike Gillespie, Leavenworth; a brother, Lawrence Gillespie, Bryan, Texas; and two grandchildren.

The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, at the R.L. Leintz Funeral Home, 4601 10th Ave., Leavenworth.

On-line condolences can be sent to the family at www.leintzfh.com.