Dr. John Russell Gill Jr. of Washington, D.C., passed away Oct. 11, 2015 in Bethesda, Md., after a brief battle with cancer. He was 86.
Dr. Gill was born in Richmond, Va., in 1929 to Dr. John R. Gill Sr. and Helen Dew Gill.
He grew up in Mathews, Va., and attended Christchurch School. He graduated from Episcopal High School in 1946 and was the winner of the Latin Prize and the Shakespeare Prize. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1950 and was a member of the Delta Phi/St. Elmo Fraternity. He then went on to attend the University of Virginia Medical School, graduating in 1954. He completed his internship at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis and his residency at Duke University Medical Center. He was then offered a Fellowship for a year in Copenhagen.
When he returned to the States he moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1957 to begin a long and illustrious 30-year career as an endocrinologist at the National Institutes of Health. During his career spanning more than three decades he contributed many important research discoveries in the fields of hypertension and diseases of the adrenal gland. He retired in 1988 with the rank of Medical Director. He continued his career as Medical Director Emeritus until 1995.
He was an active member of the Clinical Pathological Society, the Endocrine Society, the Chevy Chase Club, Farmington Country Club, and the Georgetown Assembly. He was also a more than 50-year member of the congregation of Christ Church Georgetown and served on the Vestry.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Catherine Gill; his three children, Helen Arnold (Anderson) of Palm Beach, Fla., Catherine Jacobson (Izaak) of Longmont, Colo., and John R. Gill III of Washington, D.C.; four grandchildren, Isabella, Hannah, Samuel and Zachary Jacobson, and many extended relatives and great friends. He was preceded in death by his brother, Thomas.
Funeral services will be held on Nov. 6, 2015 at Christ Church Georgetown, 3116 O Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. at 11 a.m. A reception will follow in Keith Hall.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Dr. Gill’s memory are encouraged to offer donations to Christ Church Georgetown or the Low Vision Center of Bethesda, Md.