Bobby Allen Gill

Bobby Allen Gill passed away on October 28, 2019 at the age of 82 after a long battle with heart disease. He was born September 23, 1937 in Tabler, OK and had been a resident of Norman, OK since age 7. He was a 1955 graduate of Norman High School and attended OU for a short time before serving in the Army & the National Guard. He worked at Sooner Bowling Center for several years and then for TG&Y as store manager. He then worked for a company in Oklahoma City that serviced supplies to Army Posts and Air Force Base Exchanges. He and his family lived and worked in 4 different states before returning to Norman in 1972.
After returning to Norman, he spent more than 35 years with the Norman Softball Association as a player, coach, supervisor, and board member. As a member of the Oklahoma Amateur Softball Association he was a SW Player Rep, a District 7 Commissioner, and a Central Oklahoma Deputy State Commissioner. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Softball Hall of Fame in 2010 and received the Meritorious Service award and the Lifetime Achievement award in 2010. In 2017 he was recognized for 10 Years of Dedicated Service on the USA Softball National Council. He volunteered at the Women’s College World Series for 27 years, starting the first year it was played at the Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City until his health began to decline.
Bobby was also a member of the Norman Convention and Business Bureau and served as the chairman of the NCVB sports committee and was a President of the Board of Directors. He was a member of the Norman Business Association and Immanuel Baptist Church. He retired from Tinker Air Force Base as a civilian employee in 1995 after twenty years. He then was the owner of Above & Beyond Travel before retiring again after 10 years. He loved to hunt and fish, spend time with his family, travel, and take walks with his dog Beau.
Bobby is survived by his wife of 57 years, Mary Lee (Bishop); his son David and wife Melinda of Clermont, Florida; daughter Lori of Norman; 3 grand-daughters Kylee Gill, Kendra (Fonso) Bowens, & Ashley Longman; and 4 great-grandchildren Aarion, Keira, Rhealee, and Adelynn. He is also survived by an aunt Emma Jean Bohn; sister Mary (Pat) Terry; brothers Carl (Dee Ann) Gill & Gary (Joyce) Gill; brother-in-law Leon Crump; several nieces, nephews, & cousins; and all his “bonus grandkids”.
He was preceded in death by his parents Bill & Murleen Gill; his maternal grandparents Robert & Lydia Standridge; paternal grandparents Edward & Mary Frances Gill; and sister Linda Gill Crump.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Bobby’s honor at the Wildwood Community Church on Saturday, November 2, 209 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at the IOOF Cemetery in Norman. Please bring your memories and stories about him to share. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or the new OU softball complex. Make checks to the Sooner Club/New Softball Stadium.