William Owen Gilligan

William Owen Gilligan, 82 of Toledo, passed away peacefully on February 1, 2025, at ProMedica Ebeid Hospice in Sylvania, Ohio. Bill was born on August 14, 1942, in Providence, RI to the late William Sr. and Catherine Gilligan.

Bill is survived by his wife of 28 years, Dianne Justen Waltz Gilligan; sister Mary Sullivan; children, Tim (Carole) Gilligan, Matt (Patti) Gilligan, Kerry (Gilligan) Grubbs, Michael (Amanda) Waltz, Jeff (Brandi) Waltz, and Skip (Melissa) King; grandchildren, Adam Gilligan, Caroline Gilligan, Riley Berends, Nathan Grubbs, Jason Gilligan, Nicholas Gilligan, Brady Gilligan, Hunter Waltz, Kaylee Berends, Kelsey Grubbs, Logan Waltz, Luke Waltz, and Gillian King; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Jim; and wife, Carolyn.

Bill served honorably in the US Navy where he was a submariner and served as one of the first Navy SEAL’s, even assisting in the retrieval of John Glenn and Friendship 7. He was a proud American known for his great stories, love of the Red Sox/New England Patriots, the outdoors, and hunting. Bill would tell you his greatest accomplishment is his family, especially his grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Sylvania, preceded by visitation in the church from 10-11 a.m. Bill will be laid to rest at a later date in Delaware, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation or the Joseph W. Diehn Post 468, American Legion in Bill’s memory.