He made everyone feel special and he had the most welcoming smile. He was “simply a wonderful human being”.
He was Tony Gill - a friend to everyone.
The 62-year-old was farewelled at his funeral today by more than 300 friends, family and former colleagues.
The former Rotorua Trust manager, who was responsible for securing funding for some of the city’s greatest assets - including the Sir Howard Morrison Centre where his funeral was held, battled motor neuron disease for 18 months.
He died on Saturday surrounded by his family and friends in what was an inevitable death.
Gill planned his funeral down to the finest detail - including editing scripts, choosing the music and directing where people should stand, those at the funeral were told.
Lyall Thurston, who officiated the ceremony, said the instructions were it wasn’t to be a sad occasion. It was to be a celebration of life and love and above all, he wanted it to be “peppy”.
His ex-wife, mother of their two children, Callum and Eden, and good friend Kiri Gill said their bond was so strong, not even a divorce could end their relationship.
Gill left Rotorua last year to move to Masterton to be with her and their children so they could care for him in his final months.
She said her former husband had the greatest sense of humour and would often joke he was loved by so many people because he gave out millions.
She said he would ride his bright yellow mobility scooter to town and, in true “Tony style”, would make friends with people he met along the way.
She told the story that on one such day, he encountered a gang of youths who were harassing a car at an intersection.
Gill rounded the corner and flashed his big smile at the youths - defusing what could have been a different situation.
When one of the youths boldly asked to take his mobility scooter for a spin, Gill took time to talk to them and explained that, without it, he couldn’t stand. As the conversation continued, they learned he only had months to live.
By the end, the youths gave him a hug and called him “sir”. He told the youths to make the most of their lives and live it to its fullest. They replied, “we will sir”.
Kiri Gill said when he told them of the encounter it was a reminder that sometimes people were too quick to judge.
“Sometimes a few kind words and taking the time to communicate is all it takes to create an understanding. His words to those boys had an incredible impact and it made me remember that every moment of every day is so important.”
His sister, Jane Eynon-Richards, spoke for both herself and she and Gill’s “formidable” sister Helen Bangerter, who was watching the funeral from England via livestream.
She spoke of how their parents loved them all equally but their brother was their mother’s special child and she often referred to him as her “baby boy”. Their mother would spoil him when he returned home after leaving to go to university.
She said the sisters loved their brother and would “defend him like a couple of snapping terriers”.
Rotorua Trust chairman Stewart Edward spoke of Gill’s years in the charitable funding area, including 12 years with the New Zealand Community Trust before he moved to Rotorua.
In his role as Rotorua Trust chairman, he helped countless community, sporting and cultural groups with their funding applications to ensure they met the criteria and always had an “open door” policy.
“We will miss that beautiful welcoming smile.”
Good friend Richard Reid described him as “simply a wonderful human being”.
He spoke of their love for sport and music that saw them taking in concerts and matches far and wide.
He said watching him cope with his disease was hard.
“Watching him deal stoically with this insidious disease has been extraordinary ... I never heard him say ‘why me’.
“Kind and generous he was, gentle and caring, interested and interesting, humble and polite. There are many ways to describe him. But to me and many others he was simply my friend and we are all going to miss him.”
Before the funeral began, one of Gill’s carefully selected songs played - a “peppy” tune that epitomised his philosophy - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.
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