Roy Gillian, founder of Wonderland Pier and former Ocean City mayor, has died

Roy Gillian, 94, the founder of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, former mayor of Ocean City, and father of the current mayor, Jay Gillian, died Saturday at his home, according to the Godfrey Funeral Home.

Mr. Gillian’s death came just over a week after his son, Jay Gillian, announced that the beloved amusement park, which had been part of his family’s 94-year legacy and a defining feature of Ocean City, would be closing after this season.

The Godfrey Funeral Home announced Mr. Gillian’s death on its website.

Mr. Gillian grew up in Havertown, Pa., and graduated from Haverford High School in 1947. He served in the Army from 1951 to 1953, according to the funeral home.

In 1957, two Gillian brothers, Roy and Bob, took over what was called the Fun Deck amusement park, which had been founded by their father, David Gillian, in 1930.

In 1965, Roy Gillian left that business to found Wonderland Pier at Sixth and the Boardwalk, which became etched into the Ocean City skyline as well as the memories of countless families through generations and now into its final season.

He also founded Gillian’s Island and Adventure Golf. In addition to serving as Ocean City mayor, Mr. Gillian served as an Ocean City commissioner in the early 1960s and a Cape May County freeholder in the 1970s.

“A skilled pianist who loved to entertain with his piano playing through his adult life, he was the orchestra leader of Roy Gillian & His Orchestra from 1947-51,” the funeral home’s obituary stated.

As word of his death spread, remarkable after such a sad week of mourning for the Wonderland Pier itself, tributes were posted. “A remarkable life!” wrote one woman on the funeral home’s website. “Thank you for giving so many families the most wonderful and cherished childhood memories.”

Other accomplishments included beingpast president of Shore Medical Center and Jersey Cape Diagnostic & Training Center and past chairman of the board and director of Ocean City Home Bank.

He was also a past president of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, a group with memberships in 90 countries.

In a 2019 proclamation of “Roy Gillian Day,” in honor of his 90th birthday, the mayor and Ocean City’s council wrote that Gillian had taken “the reins of an amusement park dynasty founded by his father in 1929 and turned a vacant lot at Sixth and the Boardwalk into one of Ocean City’s premier attractions.”

”Roy Gillian always remained true to his hometown and gave to the community in many ways,” the proclamation read.

In addition to his wife of 39 years, Patricia, he is survived by his sons Steven and Jay, stepdaughter Tammy Essington DeFelice, and stepson Michael Essington. He had 12 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by two sons, John Gillian and James Gillian.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Ocean City Tabernacle, 550 Wesley Ave., Ocean City, N.J., from noon until 2 p.m. with a Masonic service at 1:45 p.m. followed by a Christian service at 2 p.m.

Burial with military honors will follow in Seaside Cemetery, Palermo, N.J.

Contributions may be made in his memory to Shore Medical Center, 100 Medical Center Way, Somers Point, N.J. 08244. For condolences to the family, go to www.godfreyfuneralhome.com.