Floral Park resident James Gillis, who helped to put the first astronauts on the moon, died on Feb. 9 at age 89 from complications after a fall in which he broke his hip.
Gillis, born May 25, 1930, to Mary Rodgers and James Daly Gillis, grew up in Long Island City. His parents were Scottish immigrants, and his family lived in the Queensbridge Houses public housing project.
He attended Long Island City High School. It was there that he met his wife, Anita Barone. They married in 1952 and later raised four children, Charles, Patricia, James and John, in Floral Park.
Gillis was accepted to Cooper Union College, but was drafted by the Navy. He served as an electrician’s mate during the Korean War. After completing his tour, Gillis earned a degree in electrical engineering from Pratt Institute.
He began working at Northrop Grumman Corp. shortly after graduating from Pratt. He was soon assigned to the construction of the Lunar Module.
Gillis was part of the team that helped Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin get to the moon with Apollo 11 in 1969, according to a 1975 article in Newsday. He was the project manager for Apollo 12, which put Charles (Pete) Conrad and Alan L. Bean on the moon.
Gillis is survived by his wife, Anita, and three of his children, Patricia, James and John, as well as six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He was buried in the Calverton National Cemetery.
