Heather Rose Rodgers Gills
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Heather Rose “Peaches” Rodgers Gills was born on August 22, 1940 in Folkston, Georgia and dies on October 8, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
Heather grew up surrounded by a large family in their small town of Folkston, Georgia. Her mother, Maggie, owned a local general store and dress shop that she would work at in the summers. She loved playing basketball and was on the high school dance team spinning the fire baton. She also competed in the beauty contests winning Miss Bubbles, Miss Southern Georgia and coming in third place for Miss Georgia. She attended Brenau College and earned her BS degree in Biology and secondary education. She was president of Alpha Delta Pi national sorority.
While in college, she visited Myrtle Beach with her roommate, Valerie Osteen, and met the love of her life, Jimmy Gills. Two weeks after graduation, they were married and moved to Durham, North Carolina. While in Durham, she taught Science at Durham Academy. Heather and Jim shared many hobbies together: snow skiing, waterskiing and tennis.
Soon after, Heather and Jim welcomed their first child Shea in 1966. Then they moved to Clearwater, Florida where they welcomed their second child Pit in 1970. While raising her children, she attended Norma Neal Gause’s bible study. After 23 years of bible study, Heather became the teaching director of Community Bible Study for seven years. Heather’s passion for serving the Lord led her on mission trips and ultimately to partnering with International Cooperating Ministries.
She is survived by her husband of sixty three years, Jimmy Gills; her daughter Shea and her husband Shane Grundy with their four children: Maggie, Braddock, Jimmy and Lilly; and her son Pit and his wife Joy Gills and their three children: Pitzer, and his wife Maddie, Parker and Stokes; and brother Ben Rodgers.
