James Gillian, former owner of Gillian’s Island Water Park, died Wednesday after a long illness.
“He dreamed of bringing a water park to Ocean City, and he loved it,” Mayor Jay Gillian said of his brother. “His legacy will be having worked his whole life in the amusement business.”
Gillian’s grandfather, David Gillian, opened the Fun Deck on the Ocean City Boardwalk at Plymouth Place in 1929. A Ferris wheel and merry-go-round were the main attractions of an amusement center that was constructed after a 1928 boardwalk fire.
His father, Roy, and uncle, Robert Gillian, took over the Fun Deck in the 1950s, and Roy branched off to open Gillian’s Wonderland Pier in 1965.
A third generation of Gillians — Jay, Jim and Steve — took control of the Fun Deck property in 1988 and opened the water park there. Jay ultimately took ownership of Wonderland Pier and Jim of the water park. An investment group purchased the property earlier this year.
Jay Gillian said the family has not yet made funeral arrangements.
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