Funeral for longtime Elgin City Council member Gilliam set for Tuesday
Funeral services for former longtime Elgin City Council member Robert "Bob" Gilliam will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Second Baptist Church, 1280 Summit St., in Elgin.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday at the church. A private internment will take place after Tuesday's funeral.
Gilliam, the city's longest serving council member, died in his sleep Tuesday, Dec. 30, at a rehabilitation home in Mesa, Arizona. He was 69.
His death came 3½ months after Elgin's city hall was renamed after him.
Gilliam was the city's first black city council member, and he served on the panel for 40 years until he lost a re-election bid in 2013. His tenure was the longest for a city council member in Illinois outside Chicago, according to Elgin officials. He also served as commissioner of the The Housing Authority of Elgin for 25 years.
An Elgin native and 1963 graduate of Elgin High School, Gilliam worked 34 years for Elgin Area School District U-46 in a variety of capacities, including as a teacher, dean of students and assistant superintendent. He retired from the school district in 2002.
Gilliam is survived by his wife, Marianne, and children Soyia and Tony Gilliam.