George G Gagliardo

George Gene Gagliardo, 78, of Mattoon, IL passed away Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at Palm Terrace Nursing Home in Mattoon, IL.

A memorial graveside service will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, May 19, 2018 at the Janesville Cemetery with military rites being presented. The Barkley Funeral Chapel in Toledo is assisting the family.

George was born on April 27, 1940 in Morris, IL. He was the son of John and Mildred (Linneman) Gagliardo. He married Alice (Drumm) Gagliardo on July 11, 1987 in Las Vegas, NV and she survives. He is also survived by two daughters Jean Gagliardo of Woodridge, IL. and Tracy (Rob) Radtke of College Station, TX. and one son Douglas (Tabitha Ferguson) Gagliardo and one grandson Grant Gagliardo of Mattoon. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, a brother John and two sisters Ida and June all of Oxnard, California.

George graduated in 1958 from Ottawa High School in Ottawa, IL. He was honorably discharged from the US Navy where he served as a Corpsman. He was an avid hunter early in life and later in life a skilled hunter of pheasants and deer. He also loved boating on Lake Shelbyville. George came to Mattoon as a manager of the Arlan’s Department Store in 1971. Upon it’s closing he then worked for Motorola Electronics in Schaumburg, IL selling pagers and 2-way radios in the central IL area. It was during this time George was a member of an elite sales team, The Galvin Masters. He also has his commercial pilot’s license and was a flight instructor at the Coles County Airport.

After taking early retirement George enjoyed going on Jeep Jamborees and becoming a member of the Two River Jeep Club in Pittsfield, IL. He also enjoyed taking cruises and traveling worldwide. However, his biggest passion was scuba diving in the warm Caribbean waters. He loved the underwater adventures of the colorful fish in the beautiful corals and was a PADI certified Divemaster. George had a great sense of humor and loved a good joke. He loved the outdoors and would walk 3 miles on most days.

Memorials may be made to Janesville Cemetery c/o Jane Richter, 142 N. CO RD 1100 E. Lerna, IL, or the Alzheimer Disease Research 22512 Gateway Center Drive Clarksburg, MD 20871. Online condolences can be expressed at www.barkleyfuneralchapels.com

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