Charlie Delbert Gilley

Charlie Delbert Gilley, son of the late John Emmitt and Mary Vertanna (Woody) Gilley, was born on December 2, 1913 in the Goodville Community in eastern Douglas County, Missouri, and departed this life on November 5, 2007 in the Cox Medical Center South in Springfield, Missouri, following a long illness, at 93 years of age.
Charlie received his elementary education at Pleasant Valley (Chicken Bristle) School. He worked various jobs during his teens and in 1935 he joined the CCC’s to supplement the family income. On August 31, 1935 he was united in marriage to Esther Pendergraft of Ozark County.
Charlie and Esther moved to Mtn. Grove, Missouri where he obtained work with Harris Lumber Company for several years. In 1945 he began a career with Kraft Foods which continued until his retirement in 1976. Esther passed away on May 24, 1976.
He later married Trilba (Butcher) Sims on February 12, 1977. She passed away in 1989. He was an avid hunter especially in the spring and fall. He almost always hunted with his dear friend, Herbert Hutcheson. Charlie commented that he would rather turkey hunt than eat. He also loved to garden and was known for his trophy tomatoes that he enjoyed sharing with his friends and neighbors.
Charlie was a long time member of the Cornerstone Freewill Baptist Church near Mtn. Grove.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by three brothers: Afton Gilley, Melvin Gilley, and Arnold Gilley.
He is survived by three sons: Lawrence Gilley and his wife, Hilde, of Lawton, Oklahoma, Delbert Gilley and his wife, Donna, of Mtn. Grove, Missouri, and Norman Gilley and his wife, Colleen, of Pottersville, Missouri; four daughters: Sharlene Read and her husband, Bill, of Yukon, Missouri, Geri Wilson and her husband, Alex, of Mound, Minnesota, Ruby Mings and her husband, Troy, of Mtn. Grove, Missouri, and Virginia Strunk of Mtn. Grove, Missouri; four sisters: Sylvia Sutherland, Ruby Wyscaver, Wanda Gentry and her husband, Jay, and Doris Clark and her husband, Doil, all of Mtn. Grove, Missouri; twenty-one grandchildren; twenty-eight great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Charlie Gilley were held on Thursday, November 8, 2007 in the Craig-Hurtt Chapel with Rev. Ronald Turner officiating. Christy Crewse spoke of her memories of her grandfather. Ronald & Wilma Turner sang “Amazing Grace,” and “There’s A Light Guiding Me.” Pallbearers were Donnie Strunk, Wesley Thompkins, Barry Gilley, Gary Edwards, Troy Gilley, Tom Medlock, and Kevin Medlock. Honorary pallbearers were Bill Brown, Hurse Smith, Lewis McLean, Herbert Macomber, and Rex Sloan. Burial was in the Lone Star Cemetery under the direction of the Craig-Hurtt Funeral Home, Mtn. Grove, Missouri.


Funeral Services:
Thursday - November 8, 2007 10:00 AM in the Craig-Hurtt Chapel.
Visitation:
Wednesday - November 7, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Burial:
Lone Star Cemetery, Mtn. Grove, Missouri