Obituary: Geraldine Bane Gillman

Geraldine Bane Gillman, aged 89, passed away Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, after a brief illness. Born May 31, 1934, in Raleigh, N.C. to Dorothy and Max Bane, she attended the University of Alabama where she was a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority, forging lifelong friendships before graduating from the University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill.

She moved to Atlanta after college and there she met and married Alan J. Gillman in 1956. They were married 45 years until his passing in 2000. After their two boys, Brad and Philip, were grown, Gerry enjoyed 25 memorable years working at Saks Fifth Avenue. There were no strangers in her orbit…only a bigger audience to hear her vast array of jokes and one-liners. No distance was too far to travel for mahjong either; she played in several games for years.

Gigi, as she was fondly known, loved Broadway shows and board games, especially Scrabble. She performed in numerous shows at the JCC and AA Synagogue and cherished singing in Bob’s Broadway Chorus, delighting crowds at senior living facilities around Atlanta. Gigi was fiercely independent and took great pride in the accomplishments of her grandchildren, Darren and Nicole. As a family, our most treasured memories will always be summers at the family home on Lake Lanier.

Gerry was predeceased by her parents, Dorothy and Max Bane, brother, Si, sister, Lynn, and husband, Alan. Her survivors include her children, Brad, and daughter-in-law (Anne) of Atlanta, Philip, and daughter-in-law (Michelle) of Cumming, grandchildren, Darren, and his wife, Liz, of Atlanta, and Dr. Nicole Gillman of Richmond, Va.

Graveside services were held Tuesday, Aug. 22, at 9:30 a.m. at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Joshua Heller officiating. Donations can be made to: Congregation B’nai Torah or the Atlanta Jewish Community Center. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999

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