John Franklin Gilliam of Cincinnati, OH, passed peacefully on October 2, 2024, surrounded by family. He was born September 29, 1950, in Iowa City, IA, the son of the late James Frank Gilliam and Elizabeth Holzworth Gilliam. A natural problem solver, he was a mathematics major at the University of Virginia.
In earlier years, he lived in Iowa, Oregon, New Jersey, Virginia, NYC, New Orleans, and Atlanta. He found his forever home on the Ohio River after working as a deckhand on the Delta Queen steamboat. For the next 50 years, he lived in Newport, KY and Cincinnati, OH, with his wife Rebecca where they raised their two children. He loved to renovate houses, collect and trade bricks and architectural salvage, play chess competitively, travel, study Russian and Spanish, and meet new people. He delighted in his friends, family, and the underdog. Bengals fan. Union member. Lover of life. Beloved.
He leaves behind his son Jasper Gilliam of Cincinnati, OH, daughter Sarah Gilliam Tetrault, son-in-law David Tetrault, grandchildren Simone and Isaac Tetrault of Beverly, MA, and sister Betsy (Peter) Brown of Princeton, NJ. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Rebecca Merrill Gilliam and his sister Anne Gilliam Jacobson.
His funeral will be held Saturday, November 2nd at 10:30 AM with a reception to follow at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 7 Court Place, Newport, KY. In lieu of gifts, please donate to the International Brick Collectors Association (internationalbrickcollectorsassociation.com) or the Lewy Body Dementia Association (lbda.org).