| Graduation Year | Class of 1978 |
| Date of Birth | Mar 29, 1960 |
| Date of Passing | Jan 26, 2026 |
| About | David Michael Gillilan March 29, 1960 – January 26, 2026 “The mountains are calling and I must go.” David Gillilan died peacefully on January 26, 2026 after a years-long journey with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. He was wickedly funny, smart, generous, caring, and loyal to his family and friends. David was born in Parma, Ohio and moved with his family to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1961. He attended Bonneville Elementary, Clayton Jr, and East High School. During his childhood, David and his siblings were introduced to a life-long interest in hiking, camping, and exploring national parks, public lands, and the great outdoors on family trips. As a somewhat shy but whip smart teenager, David found his footing with the East High debate team that included many hours of playing board games and cards, socializing, a trip to the National Finals Debate competition, and the creation of tight, lifelong friendships. After high school, David moved to Pennsylvania, where he attended Swarthmore College. After two years, he was overtaken with persistent wanderlust and embarked on a year-long solo travel journey around the country. He (somewhat reluctantly) returned to college afterwards and graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts with distinction, a major in economics, and a concentration in public policy. He then lived and worked in Salt Lake City and Seattle, Washington for a short time. David always marched to the beat of his own drummer, and in 1987 he embarked on a months-long solo backpacking journey through Europe, where he consistently picked up new friends and travel companions in youth hostels. Towards the end of his trip, a “motley crew” of them took the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia and into China, arriving in Beijing on Christmas morning. After his trip, David moved to Tucson to study hydrology at the University of Arizona, echoing his brother’s interest in the subject. He formed many strong friendships there and graduated with a Master of Science in 1992. He also wrote a water policy book -- Divided Waters: Bridging the US-Mexico Border (1995). After graduate school, David resumed his solo-travelling, including a couple of months exploring Alaska via the AL-CAN and Cassiar Highways in his trusty 1972 Plymouth Valiant, which he swore was a perfectly fine “camping rig.” While sleeping inside, he learned on two different occasions that the “Valiant Steed” was grizzly bear proof. David then moved to Fort Collins, where he enrolled in the University of Colorado Law School and graduated in 1998. He was excited to finish law school, but almost happier that he could immerse himself in Colorado’s spring bird migrations again instead of books and final exams. He also co-authored another water policy book: Instream Flow Protection: Seeking a Balance in Western Water Use (1997). Upon graduation, David moved to Denver and enjoyed a successful legal career for many years, first as a water rights attorney and then as a civil attorney at Arnold & Porter. David eventually left the field of law to pursue other passions, most notably traveling. He circumnavigated the US twice more, upgrading from the mobile “Hotel Valiant” to a more reliable Honda Pilot, and regularly dropped in on his siblings, relatives, friends, and friends of friends for companionship, showers, and more spacious accommodations. He liked nothing better than a combination of talking to people, “monk time,” and the freedom of the open road. During David’s years living in Colorado, he set out to climb all 58 mountain peaks in the state that surpass 14,000 feet, colloquially known as the “14’ers.” David kept meticulous track of his summit adventures, which he sometimes completed solo, but often with dedicated climbing buddies, male and female, who literally had each other’s backs. David summited Kit Carson Peak, his last 14’er, on July 29, 2010 with good friends. During these years, David also traveled around the country and into Mexico to climb other mountains. David was a lifelong birder, a passion he shared with his father, family and friends. He kept a birding journal and carefully documented dates and locations of bird sightings on his lifetime list. He served as both vice president and president of the Colorado Field Ornithologists and achieved the distinction in August, 2015 of having climbed all the 14’ers and seen at least 400 Colorado bird species. David also made many birding trips around the country and into Mexico, Panama, and Canada. When non-birders hiked with David, he would make the woods come alive as he continuously named birds he heard and saw. David was extraordinarily loyal to his family and spent several years before and during Covid helping care for his elderly parents. He regularly traveled between Colorado and Utah, eventually moving to Salt Lake for two years when caregiving intensified. He moved back to his beloved Colorado for over a year, but returned reluctantly to Salt Lake in 2024 when it became evident he required caretaking himself. We are grateful to the many friends who traveled from out of town (or Zoomed) to visit David, as well as the locals who took him on hikes or walks, to the First Unitarian Church, men’s group lunches, movies, and out for meals or short trips. David is pre-deceased by his parents, Hugh W Gillilan (2024) and Janet C Gillilan (2022) and survived by his siblings Sheryl and Scott. His surviving nieces Claire, Graece, and Eliza adored and admired Uncle Dave for “putting up with our crap, being funny, and daring.” David is also survived by former sister-in-law Darcy Tickner, former brother-in-law Thomas Melton, and several cousins. The family offers profound thanks to the staff of the sixth floor memory care unit at Sugar House Legacy Village, Capitol Hill Senior Living, Home Instead, and Canyon Home Care and Hospice for their compassionate and personal care of David in the last part of his life. A Celebration of Life for David will take place on Sunday, March 29th from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Orangerie at Red Butte Gardens, 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City. An informal program will take place at 11:00 AM, with sharing of stories. An additional Celebration of Life will take place in Buena Vista, Colorado on April 11th. Please contact family for details. As a way to honor David’s generosity, we encourage donations to any charity of your choice in his memory. |
| Events | A Celebration of Life for David will take place on Sunday, March 29th from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Orangerie at Red Butte Gardens, 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City. An informal program will take place at 11:00 AM, with sharing of stories. |
