Milton Liles Gish's Obituary
Milton Liles Gish, a kind and affable man who loved to laugh and cook and sing, died on March 20, 2015. He was born June 18, 1942 to Milton Arthur Gish and Betty Lou Liles Gish in Tucson, Arizona, while his father was stationed at Fort Huachuca during World War II, but lived most of his adult life in Dallas. He was a proud graduate of the class of 1960 at Highland Park High School, where he was a member of the Lads and Lassies singing group as well as the ROTC. He was treasurer of his class and chosen “Ugly Man,” the popularity equivalent of Homecoming Queen. He graduated in 1964 from Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., where he majored in political science was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. His college friends can attest he was a Big Man on Campus: a member of Pi Delta Epsilon, the honorary society for collegiate journalists; Scabbard and Blade honor society for advanced ROTC members, and a class officer. For many years, he was a stalwart leader in both his high school and college alumni groups. Known to many of his friends as “Pat” or simply “Gish,” he spent nearly three decades working in outdoor advertising. He was an account executive at Middleton Outdoor Advertising and Foster and Kleiser before becoming Sales Manager and Operations Manager at Reynolds Outdoor. Mr. Gish served in the U.S. Army in air defense artillery from 1964-66 and was stationed at Thule, Greenland, and Highlands, N.J. He was a platoon leader and achieved the rank of lst Lieutenant. As a young man, he was a member of both the Calyx and Dervish social clubs in Dallas. In 1973, he was married to Rena Pederson and they had two sons, Gregory Pederson Gish and Grant Michael Gish. They were divorced in 1987. Mr. Gish sang for many years in the choir at Highland Park United Methodist Church, and contributed his voice faithfully to Christmas carols and classic requiems. He also sang and performed in the Press Club Gridiron Show and served as an extra in several Dallas Opera productions. He knew most Broadway musicals by heart. He was both civic minded and interested in the arts he earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree at Southern Methodist University and was an early member of Leadership Dallas. He was a member of the board of Child Care Partnership, the Dallas Advertising League, Highland Park United Methodist Church, Shakespeare Festival, and the 500 Inc. arts support organization. He loved reading cookbooks and trying recipes with his own improvisations. His barbecue ribs were renowned for their tenderness and flavor and he was called on many times to cook for high school reunions and Boy Scout campouts. He often labored for weeks before the holidays on his spicy Christmas snack mix of sautéed nuts and cereal mix. The bags of Christmas mix, known as “Gish’s Trash,” were coveted by friends far and wide. He was a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan and rarely missed watching a game. He still had hopes the Texas Rangers would win the World Series some day. Mr. Gish is survived by his two sons and their families: son, Gregory Pederson Gish and his wife, Kristin Holstein Gish, their daughters, Theodora Lillian Gish and Cecily Gentle Gish in Austin, Texas; and son, Grant Michael Gish and his wife, Laudan Kermani Gish in Los Angeles, California. A memorial service will be conducted at Highland Park United Methodist Church at 1:00 PM Wednesday, March 25, 2015 with a reception to follow. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, at Restland Road, Dallas, TX 75243.
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