Michael Edward Gillespie

Greensboro, NC - Michael Edward Gillespie, 67, died Sunday, October 9, 2016 following a 14 month battle with brain cancer. He leaves his wife of 33 years, Leslie (Denlinger) Gillespie and daughter, Katie Gillespie, both of the home; son, Robert (Ashley) Gillespie of Greensboro, NC; daughter, Jennifer (Nick) Nelson of Oregon, WI; sister, Suzanne Oliver of Raleigh, NC; grandchildren; Nathan Gillespie, Leslie Blackwell, Alex and Sylvia Nelson; great-grandchildren Hayden and Juliet Romero. He also leaves nieces, nephews and cousins. Family will greet friends at a celebration of Mike’s life on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at Magnolia Manor in Colfax, NC from 2pm to 5pm. Memorial Donations can be made to the Family Support Network of Central Carolina, 801 Green Valley Rd, Greensboro, NC 27408. Mike grew up in Alton, IL, the son of William Edward and Freda Mae(Harner) Gillespie. He lost his parents at a young age and lived with a uncle and aunt afterwards, Charles and Libby Gillespie. He attended Western Illinois University, was an army veteran and worked many years as a purchasing agent and later as a software programmer. When daughter, Katie, was born prematurely he became a stay-at-home dad for her and also helped to care for grandson, Nathan. In retirement, he spent many years working with the local chapter of the March of Dimes, helping to coordinate yearly Walk-a-thons in Greensboro, NC and served on the board of the Family Support Network of Central Carolina. He loved working with these organizations because he had seen first-hand the impact they had on families with disabled children and premature babies. He loved crossword puzzles and newspapers, doing many puzzles a day until his brain tumor no longer allowed him to do so. He also enjoyed photography. For many years he donated his time and resources during the holiday season to photograph babies with Santa in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Women’s Hospital. The family would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mike’s sister-in-law, Leah Denlinger, his nephew John Oliver and his caregiver, Jennifer Spargo for all of the support that they provided to Mike in his last days. Service Information