Marlborough – Edna (Dullea) Gillis, 79, died Monday, Oct. 3, 2011 after a lengthy illness.
Born in Boston, she was the daughter of the late Walter A. and Edna (Barthel) Dullea and the wife of John “Joe” Gillis of Marlborough. She retired in 2000 from Wellesley College, where she had been employed as an administrative assistant.
A resident of Natick for many years, Mrs. Gillis was an integral part of the community. In 1978, along with her husband, she opened A Place to Turn, an emergency food and clothing pantry dedicated to serving those in need, in the belief that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion. That principle guided her throughout her life; she was a tireless advocate for social justice.
She worked with the Natick Committee for a Nuclear Weapons Freeze, the Natick Ecumenical Refugee Resettlement Committee, and the Natick Democratic Committee, and served as a board member of the South Middlesex Opportunity Council. She was an active member of St. Patrick's Parish, involved with the religious education program and Christian Living Retreats.
After moving to Marlborough in 2000, she was a member of St. Matthias Parish and involved with the Association at the Villages, where she lived.
Besides her husband, she is survived by her sons, Tom Gillis and his Ursula of Garrett Park, Md., John W. Gillis and wife Joyce of Natick, and Dan Gillis and wife Helen of Dracut; her daughter, Margie Gillis of Malden; her brothers, Walter Dullea and wife Theodosia of Palm Bay, Fla. and Gerry Dullea of Bloomsburg, Penn.; her sister, Arlene Dullea of Pembroke; her brother-in-law, Ronald Dullea of Antigonish, Nova Scotia; her sisters-in-law, Jane Gillis of Scarborough, Maine and Sarah Gillis of Sydney, Nova Scotia; and her granddaughters, Madeleine, Monica, Kelly, Leigh, Abigail, and Rebecca. She was also the mother of the late Mary Gillis, who died in 2010.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, Oct. 14, at 9 a.m., at St. Matthias Church, 409 Hemenway St., Marlborough. There are no funeral home calling hours. Arrangements are under the direction of the Slattery Funeral Home, 40 Pleasant St., Marlborough.
Memorial donations may be made to A Place to Turn, 99 Hartford St., Natick, MA 01760.
