George &uot;Peter&uot; Gilliam, 89, of the 200 block of Dutch Road, died after a brief illness during the early morning hours of Thursday, April 29, 2004, in the Nansemond Pointe Rehabilitation Center in Suffolk.

Born in Emporia, he was a son of George and Fannie Powell Gilliam, and the widower of Mrs. Willie Mae Gilliam.

He had retired from Lipton Tea Company after 20 years of continuous service. He often commented he never missed a day of work. An entrepreneurial spirit led him into a number of vocations, which included operating a grocery store, hauling wood and driving a truck.

Mr. Gilliam’s early years as a preacher and singer allowed him the opportunity of serving in several churches, but he was a member and deacon at the Holland Mission United Church of Christ for most of his life.

In his later years, he immensely enjoyed visiting the old farm where he was raised, riding through downtown Emporia, wandering around Holland and reminiscing about things that developed into a lifetime of precious memories and treasured experiences for him.

Seeing, speaking with, being greeted by neighbors and friends and reading his Bible sustained his undying faith in the God who directed much of his life.

Those precious years given him by the God we serve will be held dear in the hearts of many persons who met, worshipped and worked with him through the years. He was well loved and greatly respected. In that number was a young man he raised and nurtured who

became affectionately know as his son, Robert Earl Boone (Meryl), also Mr. Boone’s daughter, Pam Skeeter, and her son, Peter.

Mr. Gilliam is also survived by one sister, Bettie M. Russell of Suffolk; three brothers, Roosevelt Gilliam (Carrie) of Riverhead, Long Island, N.Y.; Roger Gilliam (Ann) of Princess Anne, Md.; and Louis P. Gilliam of Suffolk; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and many other relatives and friends will mourn his passing.

The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, in Holland Mission United Church, by the Rev. Freddie Hines. Interment will follow at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, Holy Neck Road, Suffolk.

The family will receive friends during the wake from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday in the Peebles Funeral Home, 1016 E. Washington St.

In lieu of flowers, kindly submit memorial contributions to Holland Mission UCC, Dutch Road, Suffolk, VA 23437.