James "Jimmy" Hardy Gill Jr.

On June 13, 2024, James Hardy "Jimmy" Gill, Jr., went home to be in the eternal presence of God, through his faith alone in his Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ of God’s Scriptures. He died at home, peacefully, after a very brief illness, surrounded by his wife and family in his final days. Thanks be to God who saved Jimmy, by faith in and through Christ, through Jesus' finished work on a cross long ago.

Jimmy Gill came into this world through water on December 4, 1937 and was saved by God’s limitless grace on December 21, 1974. He was a steadfast believer in the Christ of the Scriptures and trusted in His complete and finished work on His cross for him. Now, Jimmy sees God in all His glory just as He promised and as is shown to all, in the written word of God. As for his years on this earth, Jimmy wrote “I was a sinner and was called to the salvation purchased for me by my Savior. It is through Him I have been saved eternally to be with God.”

While in the world, Jimmy was blessed with many talents, opportunities and situations to learn the will of God. In His grace, he was given the roles of a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather, an uncle, a friend, a learner, a teacher, a Marine, a lawyer, a banker, a businessman, an employer, and an employee. But most importantly throughout, he was a faithful servant of Christ. Whatever earthly successes and failures he had in these roles, Jimmy chose to leave them at the foot of the cross of Christ, Who by His grace has clothed him in His righteousness which is far, far greater than anything that Jimmy could have done in this world.

Jimmy is only briefly separated from his loving, patient and wonderful wife of 62+ years Barbara Elaine Pruyn Gill whom he loved truly, deeply, and dearly, and their beloved son James Hardy "Buddy" Gill, III and beloved daughter Laura Elaine Gill Showalter and her husband, Brian, and their ten children Lauren Showalter Ely (husband Johnny), John, Katherine, James, Lee, Adam (wife Rachael), Ruth, Robert, Mary and Steven Showalter. In his later years, Jimmy had the blessing of great-grandchildren Elisyn, Charlie and Andrew Ely, and especially his one-year old great-granddaughter Hazel Marie Showalter — whose presence, smile, laugh and giggles filled his heart with joy and delighted him so in the last year of his life.

Jimmy is also only briefly separated from his two loving and very dear sisters, Sandy Gill Webb Knost and Bonnie Gill Pulver (husband David Pulver), along with sister Sandy’s children Sara “Jamie” James Webb Allen (husband John D. Allen), George Webb Jr. (fiancee Roxanne McKenzie), and sister Bonnie’s children David James (“DJ”) Pulver (wife Rebecca) and Gill Christian Pulver (wife Ashleigh), as well as his late brother Richard Gill’s children Cindy Gill, Catherine Gill Cronin (husband David) and Richard F. “Ricky” Gill Jr. (wife Victoria), and his brother-in law Michael Pruyn and sister-in-law, Jean Lofland Gill — all of whom he loved very much.

He is also survived by his wonderful past law partners Frank Foil, Donald Beckner, and Larry Bankston, and by multi-generational good family friends of the late Senator Russell B. Long and Buddy Gill Sr. families: Kay Long, Russell Long Mosely, and Katherine Mosely Smith, as well as the BRHS Class of 1955 “Wednesday Lunch Bunch.”

In the Lord’s perfect will, Jimmy was preceded into God’s presence by beloved paternal grandparents, Thomas S. Gill, Sr. and Vashti Nunnallee Gill, maternal grandparents, Frank G. Stone and Sara Worrell Stone, and step grandmother Natalie Perkins Stone.

Jimmy also thanks God for those in his life whom God has called before him: his beloved father and mother James Hardy "Buddy" Gill, Sr. and Sara Stone Gill, his wonderful younger brother Richard F. Gill loved greatly, his much loved brother-in-law Tommy Knost, his special uncle Thomas S. Gill, Jr., his aunt and uncle Vashti Gill Bishop and J. Benton Bishop, his uncle “Sonny” Stone, his mother-in-law Naomi Terry Pruyn Ward Anderson, his half-uncles Graham and Raymond Stone, and his niece Cristin Gill Vigurie.

Jimmy was also predeceased by a special group of LSU college Kappa Apha fraternity brothers, who called their friendship group “the Magnificent Seven” — Ronnie Stephens, Billy Robinson, Gerald D’Armond, Tommy Ward, John Squires, and Jody Fail. Jimmy was “the last man standing”.

He was also predeceased by four beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that gave him and his wife Barbara great joy, and that they loved very much.

Born in Baton Rouge, Jimmy was educated mainly in its Catholic school systems, before graduating in 1955 from Baton Rouge High School (and voted “Class Wit”). As a young man, Jimmy served as corporal in the United States Marine Corps — both from 1957-58 in active duty while stationed mainly in Hawaii, and thereafter in reserve duty, until he was honorably discharged in 1963. Jimmy graduated from LSU in 1961 with a B.S. in business, and then earned a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in 1964.

A classmate introduced Jimmy to his future wife Barbara at a party Christmas night 1958. They dated off and on for the next three years, and he proposed October 1961 at his grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary party. Thankfully Barbara accepted, and they married at St. Aloysius church December 23, 1961, with a wedding reception at the City Club. They welcomed son Buddy in mid-October 1962, and then daughter Laura in early December 1965.

Jimmy began his professional life as an attorney practicing law based in Baton Rouge, over the years in various law firm incarnations, with wonderful partners such as Frank Foil, Don Beckner, and Larry Bankston. He also also operated in the areas of governmental relations — both in Washington D.C. at the federal level, as well as at the state level in Louisiana.

Jimmy served as a construction trade association executive with BRICA, and was a Founder and CEO of two industrial construction/maintenance contracting firms (ORET and TeroTechnology). Jimmy also later served as President/CEO of G&G Maintenance, an affiliate of Merit Industrial Contractors, Inc. (where he also served as an EVP), which was later acquired by the publicly-traded Shaw Group., Inc.

Jimmy was also a business attorney specializing in the international engineering, procurement and construction contracts, as well as administrative law, construction and product project development, multinational project financing, contract negotiations and administration, and pre-litigation dispute resolution. His decades-long international business career included business and legal consultant services for selected businesses operating in Africa, Europe, Eurasia, and South/Central America, spanning over 23 countries.

Jimmy next served as President of internationally-controlled Anglo-American Bank Shares, a Louisiana Bank Holding Company, and then as a Director of Baton Rouge Bank and Trust. He also briefly served as a Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions on certain RTC and FDIC-related issues.

After those accomplishments, Jimmy shifted his career of service from business to academia. Jimmy became an adjunct Professor (1992-1996), and taught classes to LSU students later as the Contractors Educational Trust Fund Endowed Chair and Principal within the Department of Construction Management and Industrial Engineering in the College of Engineering at Louisiana State University (1997-2006). At LSU, “Professor Gill” taught Construction Law, Contract Administration, Construction Safety, and Ethics, in addition to financial grant-related Courses and Seminars.

Professor Gill also published research in the area of ethics within the business system encompassing government, the public, private financing, private development, engineering/architecture and construction practices in an ethical environment. Popular with his students, Professor Gill was honored and humbled with national awards from the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) “2003 W.A. Klinger Outstanding Educator Award” and the Associated General Contractors Educational and Research Foundation “2003 Outstanding Educator Award”.

After leaving academia, Jimmy also lectured and consulted internationally and nationally in the area of business and personal ethics. Trained by the American Arbitration Association, he was selected regularly by that organization to mediate and/or arbitrate construction and commercial disputes, whether domestic or foreign.

Jimmy was a former member of Le Cercle de Bacchus (Baron), the City Club, the Baton Rouge Country Club, The Caledonian Society, the Charity Ball Association of Baton Rouge, the Faculty Club at LSU, the Fais Do Do dance club, and a Lieutenant with the “Mystick Krewe of Louisianians” Washington DC Mardi Gras event (which his father helped to create) for many years. Jimmy also received the first “Friend of Russell Long” award given by the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame through the efforts of his long-time friend, the late Ted L. Jones.

Even with all those considerable life achievements, those who knew Jimmy best knew his passion and main interest was Bible Study and Bible teaching. Jimmy become an ordained Minister through the Berean Bible Fellowship on July 15, 1991, with encouragement and support from his friend Obed Kirkpatrick and many others. Throughout the second half of his life,

Jimmy had an active public ministry of service and Bible teaching to retirement communities and assisted living facilities. Before Jimmy retired, he volunteered for several years as President of the Radio Bible Courses, Ltd. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a 30+ year strong non-profit Bible teaching ministry founded by the late Nick Kalivoda. He was never happier than with an audience preaching the Gospel of his Lord and savior Jesus Christ and Biblical teachings.

Jimmy wished to especially thank his long-time doctors — Kadair, Luikart, Dampf, Porta, and Burglass — for their terrific care over his later years that help extend his life, and also to his wonderful “inherited” family sitters Pat Jackson and Donna Lynn Semien.

Jimmy’s family wishes to thank St. Joseph Home Hospice and their wonderful nurses and staff, the staff and sitters of Always Best Care, and their wonderful neighbors the Ervin Johnson family.

Jimmy wrote: “To all my brothers and sisters in Christ looking for His return, hold fast to the faith in our Christ and pray for one another to be protected from the evil one. Be in thought and actions to His glory for this is “good works”. See you at the throne of God!

To those who have not believed in the Christ of the Scriptures alone as your eternal Savior, now is the time for your justification by faith and continuing salvation eternally; do not put off your decision to believe in the Christ of God’s Scriptures who died on the cross for your sins and was buried and on the third day arose from the dead. They, who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit says.”

A public celebration service is to be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home 825 Government Street, Baton Rouge, LA on Saturday, June 29, 2024 with a visitation beginning at 9:30am and Memorial Service in their Chapel at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Radio Bible Courses, Ltd. (c/o Dr. Eric Kalivoda), P.O. Box 14916 Baton Rouge, 70898, or The Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area, 3772 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806 in memory of Jimmy’s mother Sara Stone Gill.