Bill Gillotti
William UNK Gillotti (b. 1914, d. 1991) was the first of six children born to parents Michael Gillotti, Sr. and Pauline Gillotti (nee Wolter). He had four brothers, Mike Jr., Phil, Bernie, and Eddie; and his sister, Pauline, is the mother of REDdimension Wiki Circle member, Kevin McNulty. While his brothers stayed in the northeast, Bill moved to California to attend UCLA, eventually marrying and settling there. When his sister moved her family to California, Bill and Pauline were able to maintain a close relationship even though the rest of the brothers drifted apart from them. Bill is the only uncle with whom Kevin had a significant relationship. Pauline called Bill "Sonny."
Childhood
Bill grew up the oldest of six children in a modest two-story house in Danbury built in the 1800s. His mother was a talented cook who learned to cook Italian when she married Mike, Sr. She cooked almost nothing but Italian food throughout Bill's life, depsite being raised on German food herself.
The family was of modest means due to extensive medical expenses through the years. Eddie contracted polio at age 3, requiring treatment and rehabilitation. Bernie developed a brain abcess at age 15, the surgery for which left him blind and speech impaired for life. Mike, Jr., who drove a bakery truck in his teens, had an extremely serious accident in the truck and was not expected to live (though he eventually made a complete recovery). Finally, Mike, Sr. had heart problems, having a series of five heart attacks over the years, the final one taking his life in 1962. Bill and Pauline, the oldest and the youngest children, were the only ones to escape major medical concerns during their youth.
Occupations
Bill got a job with Northrop Aircraft when he graduated UCLA, and worked for them for his entire adult life. His work on the T-38 Talon anf the YF-17 Cobra would become notable in his nephew Kevin's memory for years to come.
Residences
Bill met his first wife, Mary, in Connecticut and they moved to Texas in the 1940s. They moved on to California in 1950. When Pauline and he family moved to California, Bill was living in Torrance, CA in Los Angeles County. Pauline and her family lived about 45 minutes south in Orange County, but the two families were close enough to visit often. The path from Orange County to Torrance passed through Carson, CA which was the west coast home of the Good Year Blimp, which was often moored as the family drove by. It was the highlight of the drive for young Kevin.
Years after the passing of his first wife, Bill re-married and he and his new wife moved to Fountain Valley, CA in Orange County. Pauline's family lived in neighboring Amaheim by this time, and visits were frequent.
Marriage/Children
Bill married shortly after graduation to his first wife, Mary. The two had a daughter, Patricia, who remains close to Pauline and her family today. Mary contracted a serious illness and was bedridden for years, and Bill spent those years taking good care of her. She finally passed away when Patricia was an adult, and Bill spent many years alone in the Torrance house with his cocker spaniel, Shorty, and his poodle, Sam.
Eventually he re-married. His new wife, Kathy, had two grown sons of her own. Though it was clear that Bill and Kathy were very much in love, Kathy's relationship with Bill's family always seemed the smallest bit strained. When Bill died in 1991, Kathy quickly lost touch with Bill's family.
Never having had a son, Bill had a special affection for his nephew, Kevin. He called Kevin "Crindad" though no one is really sure why. He allowed Kevin the run of the house in Torrance when he was young, even allowing Kevin to play, carefully, with his desk model from Northrop.
Death
Bill died of complications following surgery to remove blockages from his corotid arteries in 1991. He never woke up post-surgery, spending days in intensive care before finally passing. Patricia was at the hospital every day, but so long as her father remained unconscious, she would not go in to see him. She did not want her last memory of her father to be seeing him hooked to tubes and wires, laying unresponsive in a hospital bed. Kevin did go in to see his uncle during this time, and to this day admires Patricia's decision and wishes he had done the same.
