Roger L Gilles

Roger Gilles was born on April 21, 1938, in Minneapolis, MN. His parents, Louis Casimer Gilles and Helene Louise Bauduin Gilles were proud immigrants from the French speaking part of Belgium.

The family lived on the Minnesota State Prison grounds in Bayport, MN, where Louis, a French chef worked as the food services director. Roger remembers watching the prison baseball games, along with seeing the repeat offenders come back each year to see their friends on the team.

Roger attended Bayport Elementary School. Each week his mother drove him to the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, where he excelled at piano, eventually playing a concerto with the McPhail Orchestra.

During this same time period, his mother also dropped him off daily to practice golf at the Stillwater Country Club; he spent his days there working and “mastering his swing.” When the family later moved to Minneapolis, Roger caddied at the Minikahda Golf Club. He also lettered in golf at St. Louis Park High School and won several of the Minneapolis Star Junior Tournaments. His golf caddying and leadership helped him to go to college on an Evan’s Scholar Caddie Scholarship.

He graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1955, where he went to Boy’s State and served as senior class president.

He attended the University of Minnesota where he lettered in golf. He graduated in 1960 with a degree in philosophy and a minor in journalism.

Following college, Roger enlisted in the army reserves and served for two years at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

After returning home to Minneapolis on a blind date, he met his partner for life, Shirley Mann of Dickinson, ND. They were married in Dickinson on August 24, 1963. They lived for several years in the Minneapolis area, where Roger began his career in sales and marketing, first working in the buying program at Dayton’s department store. Following that, he worked in sales positions and in the investment business, training with Eastman Dillon. It was during this time that the two children were born, daughter, Renee and son, John.

In the 1970’s the family moved to Dickinson, ND, where Roger worked as a sales manager for Mann’s Automotive Supply. He later received and accepted an offer to manage a company based in Fargo and Minneapolis, Total Glass Distributing. He later became an owner and CEO.

The family enjoyed living in Fargo. While there, they also enjoyed getting away to their Minnesota log cabin on Long Lost Lake, located near Itasca State Park. Even after leaving their lake home, the property always held a special place in Roger’s heart.

Roger always retained his Minnesota roots. He seldom was seen without some token of Minnesota—a sweatshirt, license holder or ball cap, as well as a U of M letterman’s ring.

In 2000, Roger partially retired and completed the master’s in management program at the University of Mary branch in Fargo, ND. He then taught part time at the school and loved to treat his students to his homemade vegetable soup.

In 2003, he and Shirley moved to Redmond, Oregon. where they followed their daughter Renee and son-in-law, Bill Moseley. They wanted to be with the family, then a family of four. Roger worked part-time teaching at the community college. He also worked part time at his son-in-law’s company, GL Solutions. In addition, he developed his own business, The Learning Curve, using concepts he learned by attending several seminars at the Gallup Company, among them developing strengths.

He liked Redmond where he met many friends, both in the neighborhood and at their church, St. Edwards in Sisters, Oregon.

Just as the Gilleses followed the grandchildren to Redmond, they followed them again to Kalispell, Montana in 2022. Here Roger enjoyed meeting new friends at his church, as well as at the Logan Health Center.

Roger was a man of faith. He would want to be remembered as a member of the Demontreville Jesuit Retreat League; he attended 33 retreats at the North St. Paul Jesuit campus. He embraced the Jesuit philosophy.

Roger has many friends who will remember him as a man of great humor, grace and wit. He often had a deprecating sense of humor, with a twinkle in his eye.

He died in Kalispell, MT on May 4, 2025. HIs celebration of life takes place on June 27 at 11 a.m. at Risen Christ Catholic Church, 65 West Evergreen Drive, Kalispell, MT 59901. His friends are encouraged to attend.

Roger is survived by his wife, Shirley (Kalispell, MT), his daughter Renee (Bill) Moseley (Bigfork, MT), his grandchildren Isabella Moseley (Portland, OR), Marie Moseley (Yakima, WA), Roselyn Moseley (Bigfork, MT) and Matthew Moseley (Bigfork).

Also surviving Roger are his niece Janet Gilles (San Marcos, TX) and her brothers David (Lam Yai) Gilles, Vince Gilles and Roger Gilles, all of Bangkok, Thailand; great nieces and nephews, Michael ( Shannon) Gilles (Hudson, WI) and Eric (Stephanie) Gilles, (Maple Grove, MN).

He is survived also by great nieces and nephews on both sides of the family. Surviving on the Mann side are Aaron Gafferey (Dickinson, ND), Nathan Gafferey (Bismarck, ND), Matthew Gafferey (Spearfish, SD), Ken (Beata) Grantier, (Bemidji, MN) and Dan (Kim) Grantier, (Minneapolis, MN) Charmaine (Jason) Endicott, (Dexter, OR).

He is also survived by his sisters-in-law Patricia Grantier (Minneapolis, MN) and Mary June (Rod) Gafferey, (Deadwood, SD).

Preceding Roger in death is his son, John Gilles, parents Louis and Helen Gilles, brothers, Raymond and Paul, Paul’s wife, Jane and Robert’s wife, Jean, all of Minneapolis, MN.

Memorials will be sent to the Demontreville Retreat House in North St. Paul, MN and/or the Flathead Warming Center in Kalispell, MT.

Buffalo Hill Funeral Home caring for the family.