Paul Stephen Gilliatt

Capt. USAF Ret. P. Stephen Gilliatt, of Chester, VA, age 78, passed away peacefully on Thursday morning, February 8, 2024, at home, following a brief but serious decline in his health. He spent his final moments with his wife, Sharon, who faithfully cared for him.
Born in Charlotte, NC, in 1945, he was predeceased by his parents, Paul Gilliatt, Col. AF, and Treva Gilliatt.
Stephen is survived by his loving wife, Sharon Gilliatt, of Chester, VA. He was the proud father to Jeffrey Gilliatt and his wife, Erin, of Rehoboth, MA, and Janean Trimble and her husband, Jeffrey, of Chesterfield, VA. He leaves behind seven grandchildren, Abigail Gillatt, Zachary Trimble, Andrew Gilliatt, Caroline Gilliatt, Owen Trimble, Morgan Trimble, and Violet Gilliatt. Stephen also leaves behind his brother, Douglas Gilliatt and his wife, Judi, of Chester, VA; his sister, Ruth Kymmell and her husband, Wout, of Chesterfield, VA; his brother-in-law, Dennis Conrad and his wife, Lisa, of Alhambra, IL; his sister-in-law, Connie Miltenberger, of Chesterfield, MO, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Born into a military family, Stephen spent most of his childhood on the move and lived throughout the Deep South, as well as in Indiana, Ohio, Germany, and Japan. He returned to the United States for good in 1962, in time to finish his senior year of high school at Mascoutah High School in Mascoutah, IL.
In 1967, he graduated from SIU Carbondale with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Following his graduation, he was commissioned as an Air Force Reserve Second Lieutenant and sent to Scott Air Force Base, where he met and married his beloved wife, Sharon in 1968. In 1969, they were transferred to Charleston, SC, and then moved to Chester, VA, in 1971, when Stephen left active duty and began his thirty-two year career as a civil servant, working in contracting and acquisitions for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the US Army, and the US Department of Defense. He completed his master's degree in Acquisition and Contracting from Florida Institute of Technology in 1979. Stephen retired in 2005, and was awarded the Civilian Career Service Award.
Stephen was an avid lover of history and a fantastic storyteller who brought tales from his childhood in post-war Germany and Japan to life for everyone around him. From living in a former Nazi horse stable - deemed unfit for the horses by the Nazis! - to going to 8th grade in a former POW camp in Ohio (with the barbed wire removed!), Steve's stories were truly incredible, and he continued to tell them even during his most recent hospitalization. He was also a member of the Richmond Civil War Roundtable and loved coin collecting.
A man of great faith, he was a member of the Chester United Methodist Church for almost 50 years, where he served on the Pastor Parish Relationship Committee and did teller duty.
There will be a visitation at 10:00 am, on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, with a funeral following at 11:00 am, at Chester United Methodist Church, 12132 Percival St, Chester, VA 23831. A graveside service, with military honors, will be held at 10 am, on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at Virginia Veterans Cemetery at Amelia, 10300 Pridesville Rd, Amelia Court House, VA 23002. In lieu of flowers, please consider sending donations to Chester United Methodist Church or the American Heart Association.