I'm sorry to hear of Gilles' passing. He was a friend at McMaster (Matthews Hall). I remember him fondly. Rick Woodgate and I went to Expo 67 with Gilles. He linked us up with his Montreal family. RIP

Gilles was woven into the fabric of my physics undergraduate at the U of M. I can't imagine it without him. He was universally respected by the students and there was no shortage of affection for his gruff and caring manner. The best part was that he would often teach me how to be safe through demonstration: "You see this? DON'T do this!" Then he'd stick his hand in the lathe without a guard on, or operate some dangerous machinery without goggles. You're not going to forget that.

Thank you to all Gilles’s colleagues, friends, his rugby family for all your kindnesses and wonderful tributes to our brother (uncle).  It warms our hearts to know that he was loved, respected and care about so deeply.

It’s hard for me to picture the department without Gilles. He has been a helpful presence in so many ways that have ranged from major support, such as operating the helium liquefier, to helping individuals, both faculty and students, at all levels.  While he raised “gruff” to an art form, he could only maintain it briefly as he transitioned to providing real help. He was invariably willing to spend time with students who were trying to make experimental apparatus actually work. His knowledge of obscure objects and their equally obscure locations and history was legendary.  He will be missed by all of us.

Gilles was a colleague and a friend, loyal in both capacities.  He was always ready with expert technical advice or for a rapid exchange of cheering repartee. Gilles was one of the first people I got to know in the Department on my arrival in 1970.  We often reminisced about living in Ontario in the 50s and 60s. As my children grew up from toddlers to teenagers, they always looked for Gilles on visits to the Department. They referred to him,with affection, as Bigfoot. 

I am so sorry for your loss of your brother. My sympathy to you and your family. 

So sorry from the lost of your brother our deepest Sympathy to you and the family may Gilles RIP.Albina and John

My condolences to the family.May Gilles RIP Bill&Diane Boyle

Gilles' hallmark shouts of "relaaaax" and "what do you want?" will stay with me forever. As Gwyn said, gruff with a heart of gold. A great loss. About ten years ago, I "borrowed" an old wooden chair from the optics lab across the hallway for office hours, but Gilles found me out in no time! Big complaints, but of course, he let me keep it. I finally returned it a few months ago and was planning to tease him about it. Gilles, if you can hear me: The chair is back!

In the labs when we needed to find the tools or the right way to do something, Gilles would always jokingly say, "Lemme tell ya... life is rough". Gilles made our lives easier, which is why he will be missed. 

I have fond memories from a long involvement with Gillles, from his time as a student, and as a team mate on the Physics Soccer team that won the pennant once, to his many years as an invaluable colleague in the Department as lab teacher and research collaborator. My condolences to his family, Sincerely John Vail

As some of you may recall, I mentioned that I was one of the first people to meet Gilles when he joined the Physics Department in the fall of 1970. He had been a student at McMaster, where he had been awarded a good undergraduate degree. Rather than continue to a (reputed) job in Northern Manitoba, he stopped by the department and decided to do graduate work with a former colleague of ours - Paul Gaunt - with whom I shared lab space. As a result, I got to know Gilles very well; I served on his M.Sc thesis exam committee, and he easily passed......except for a few typo corrections. He never did them! He did however decide to stay on in a technical role, which was of enormous benefit to the department over the next several decades. As the Professor referred to below by Jeff Schachter, I can not only confirm all the positive comments Jeff had to offer, but I would also add that Gilles - along with Henry Kunkel - was principally responsible for the installation, upkeep and operation of the helium liquefier, which they did over and above their other many duties. I'm not sure the low temperature programme at the U of M would have continued with any degree of success without their contribution. Gruff, but truly with a heart of gold, we will all miss him very much.

When I joined UM in 2014, Gilles quickly became the face of the department for me. We would say hello to each other in the morning and often have a little banter. He was always helpful and will be missed by many in the Physics & Astronomy department.

I remember Gilles from my days in undergrad and early grad school.  His was always a welcome face to see. He helped me with my lab projects and I always loved bantering with him. He had this trademark way of saying "ReLAX...take it EASY" than I picked up and continue to use to this day. He made a pretty big impact on me and I will always remember and miss him. Rest in peace Gilles.

Way back when I was a student in Physics at the UofM, Gilles in many ways *was* the department.  It seemed he had a hand in every one of the experiments being conducted in the building.  He certainly helped the undergraduates learn how to do the experiments in the lab classes.  I don't think I would have made it through 3rd or 4th year labs without him, and I thus owe him much gratitude for my graduate degree and the career that followed.  The support he offered was both technical (ESR anyone?) and moral ("Don't panic! Don't worry!").  In 3rd year lab, he went above and beyond for me and my lab partner Dave so that we could step outside the usual curriculum and build a dye laser.  Gilles scrounged the equipment we needed, and spent long hours with us getting it to work.  One afternoon when Dave and I were busy tinkering with the laser, the fire alarm went off.  As we made our way down the stairs to exit the building, there was Gilles, charging up the stairs, muttering to himself "What did those two do now?"  The care he showed for us, and all the students, was heartwarming.  His support extended beyond the classes we took.  As a summer NSERC student, Gilles taught me how to develop pictures in a dark room, and helped me cobble together a rudimentary data acquisition system to replace the pen-and-paper chart recorder graphs my Professor had me digitizing by hand.  Gilles even loaned me and my friends his canoe so we could take a post-4th year celebratory camping trip.  He was a huge part of my education at the UofM; a true mentor.  Even now, when faced with a challenging problem, technical or otherwise, I hear him saying "Don't panic! Don't worry" to help guide me through it.  I imagine he's helping students calibrate their ESR equipment now, but I'm not sure heaven is where they do that experiment.  Thank you, Gilles, for everything!  I will always remember you.  - Jeff Schachter, B.Sc.(Hons) 1991

Giles was always so helpful and knowledgeable.  He helped my team and I a lot at the UofM.   He will be missed.

Gilles and I developed the technique for making English Royale nitrotini -- such a good time!  He'll be missed by so many of us in the Dept of Physics and Astronomy.