James Woodson Gill

James (Jimmy) Woodson Gill, Jr. was born on September 11, 1948, to the union of James Woodson Gill, Sr., and Euries Tanksley Gill. He was the youngest and only son of four children—Annie Jewell Gill Lewis, Winnie Della Gill Miller and Alice Naomi Gill—all of whom preceded him in death. Jimmy attended Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Richmond Heights, Missouri and was baptized by the late Pastor Fiddmont. He became an ordained Deacon and was head of the usher board before leaving Mount Zion and continuing his spiritual growth and services at First Baptist
Church of Webster Groves, and House of the Living Stone under the leadership of Pastor Wendell W. Bonner, Ph.D. He became part of the trustee board until his health declined, and he was unable to attend regular meetings.

Jimmy attended Maplewood Richmond Heights High School and was a stellar athlete in baseball and football. Jimmy enjoyed hanging out with his high school buddies and attending the local dances. While attending a popular dance at the Clayton YMCA, he met a young lady named Diane Massey who would introduce him to a beautiful young lady that would change his life for the good. On Saturday, March 28, 1964, Jimmy Gill met Glenda McCall, and their love story began. Jimmy loved telling the story of how they met, and how he knew from that day she would be his wife.

Jimmy and Glenda dated throughout high school. Jimmy attended Forest Park Community College before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. After basic training, Jimmy received his orders, he was going overseas to Mildenhall Air Force Base in England. Jimmy was there a year and as soon as he could he went home to St. Louis to get his bride. They were married on Saturday, August 15, 1970, and two weeks later, Glenda was on her way to England. Jimmy wanted to start a family right away, but Glenda convinced him to take advantage of the opportunity to travel and see Europe. And just like a devoted husband he was, Jimmy came home with travel brochures the very next day. After traveling for a year, Jimmy and Glenda were blessed with their first bundle of joy, Carmen, born in London. After leaving London, Jimmy was stationed in Idaho at the Mountain Home Air Force Base. While stationed there, God blessed them with their precious baby boy, Duane. Jimmy left the service and began work at Maritz, Inc., where he stayed for many years. There, he developed photos for the company’s catalogs and picked up photography as a hobby. He often acted as the unofficial family photographer. He would take and duplicate favorite family photos and pass them out as treasures. Jimmy later worked for Shop ‘N Save grocery store in Kirkwood, Missouri where he was in charge of the liquor department. He loved this job which allowed him to work and speak with customers. He took pride in making sure he knew his customer’s wants and needs. He always worked at least two jobs to care for his family; his longest second job was at Old Warson Country Club. During
his time there, he was able to get several family members hired, including both children and several nieces and nephews.
Jimmy loved working out, running, and riding his bike. He kept his gym bag in his car and would run daily. While working at Maritz, he would often ride his bike from Rock Hill to Fenton and back again. He ran in several marathons in St. Louis, Chicago and Portland, Oregan, just to name a few.

Jimmy and Glenda loved being with each other and later in life began traveling with their travel buddies: Prines and June Holland and James and Patsy Williams. These three couples would embark on travel adventures all over the world. From Mediterranean cruises to touring Barcelona, Spain they did and saw it all. In December 2009, Jimmy was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer but because he was in such great shape from his marathon days, he was able to continue his travels. The couples were wrapping a Caribbean cruise when the world shut down due to the COVID pandemic in 2020 and in December of that year Jimmy was hospitalized. Jimmy had such an amazing spirit, and if he knew you, he had your back. Jimmy became the yard man, where he cut most of the yards for the widows on his block and drove to North County to cut his favorite daughter’s yard. He loved helping any and everyone. If Jimmy knew you were “thinking” about getting a new car, new furniture, or needed to relocate to another state, Jimmy was the man you needed in your corner. He encouraged everyone he knew to save their money, have a plan for life and, most importantly, be sure they knew and had a right relationship with God. After battling COVID, cancer, and dementia, Jimmy breathed his last breath on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 10:48 p.m. at home surrounded by loved ones. Jimmy leaves to cherish his memory: his devoted wife of 55 years, Glenda Gill; children, Carmen and Duane; one granddaughter, Marley Gill; one sister-in-law, Vickie McCall; two brothers-in-law, Melvin (Karen) McCall and Larry McCall; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

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