Former Gosport mayor and honorary alderman dies aged 83
A former mayor of Gosport, long-serving councillor and honorary alderman has died at the age of 83.
Alderman Keith Gill, who “loved serving his community”, passed away peacefully at the Rowans Hospice on May 20.
Mr Gill was a councillor at Gosport Borough Council for 15 years, serving as a member of the Liberal Democrat party from 1999 to 2010 and the Conservatives from 2012 to 2016.
He was Mayor of Gosport in 2007 to 2008 and again in 2014 to 2015.
Paying tribute to her “kind, caring and witty” father, his daughter Juliet said: “He was a people person and was very sociable into his very late life.
“He loved being a councillor. He wasn’t really in it for the politics. He liked doing things for the community.
“When he was mayor he enjoyed attending events with local people like opening fetes, and he enjoyed all those usual mayoral duties.
“He met Margaret Thatcher on one of the anniversaries of the Falkland Islands.”
Mr Gill was born on June 27, 1942 and was raised in Manor Park, in London’s East End.
He attended East Ham Grammar School and the University of Nottingham.
Mr Gill started his career as a teacher and went on to work in local government as an education officer.
He eventually became the deputy education officer for Gosport and Fareham, before eventually retiring in 1997.
He then became a councillor until 2016, including four years at Hampshire County Council.
Juliet said: “We came to Gosport in the early 1980s and I remember we watched the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Diana while unpacking boxes in Plymouth.”
He married his first wife Margaret in 1966 and had two children, Juliet and Andrew.
He went on to marry his second wife Eira, a headmistress, in 1984.
Juliet said: “He cared for my stepmum, who has dementia. Eira was his most important thing.”
A funeral service for Mr Gill will be held at The Oaks, Havant Crematorium, on Wednesday, June 11 at 10am.
Details of the funeral and the celebration of Mr Gill’s life can be found here.
For those unable to attend on the day, the link also includes a web link to the service.
Juliet said: “To support the fantastic work at the Rowans Hospice, a charity close to our heart and dad’s chosen charity whilst Mayor of Gosport, we would be extremely grateful for donations to the hospice using the above link. They do a wonderful job up there.”