- Date Of Birth: June 12, 1922
- Date Of Death: February 11, 2013
- State: New Jersey
Joseph R. “Joe” Gillam, Jr., passed away peacefully on February 11, 2013. He was 90 years old. Joe was born on June 12, 1922 and grew up on Conover Street in Burlington, NJ. He recalled sharing coal and meals with those less fortunate during his childhood and the Great Depression. On September 27, 1942, Joe joined the US Naval Service. He served during World War II on board the US Armed Merchant Vessel SS Panam.
On May 7, 1943, he survived an enemy attack when a torpedo hit the port side of the vessel and sunk the ship. Upon returning home, Joe attended Temple University on a VA scholarship. Shortly thereafter, he married Joan Scully and they raised a family together in Beverly, NJ. Joe was an insurance agent for Columbian Mutual Insurance Company for many years. He later drove a school bus for Willingboro Public Schools. Upon retirement, Joe moved from Beverly to Waretown, NJ, where he built his own house and took the road less traveled with his eldest son near the New Jersey seashore. Joe spent many happy years on his boat, fishing on Barnegat Bay with his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed visits to the Barnegat Lighthouse and was an avid fan of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Joe is preceded in death by his wife, Joan (Scully)Gillam, his parents, Joseph R. and Helen (Garwood) Gillam and his sister Jean Williams. Joe is survived by his children, Joseph R. Gillam, III “Ricky” of Waretown, NJ, Vicki Lynn Farley (Daniel) of Riverside, NJ, Caryn J. Hayden of Beverly, NJ, Martin S. Gillam (Emma) of Edgewater Park, NJ; his grandchildren, Troy J. Farley (Sandra) , Justin A. Farley (Melissa), Emily J. Gillam; and his great-grandchildren, Maxwell J. Farley, Aiden A. Farley, and Joseph S. Farley.
