Joseph M. Gilliam Jr.

Joseph "Joe" Marlo Gilliam, Jr. passed away on September 11, 2018 in Indianapolis, IN at the age of 26. He took his last breath at 1:53pm, and was welcomed in to heaven with fully restored lungs and a body that was made new. Joe is survived by his beloved wife, Rachel; his grandparents, Rev. Donnell and Beverly Liddell; his mother, Yvette Hawkins; his sisters, Chelsey Henry and Khlyra "KK" Winters; his father, Joseph Gilliam, Sr. (Vickie); and his uncle, Darius Barker. He was preceded in death by his Great-grandmother, Magnolia White and Grandmother, Virginia Gilliam. Joe was born on March 18, 1992 in Indianapolis, IN to Joseph Gilliam Sr. and Yvette Hawkins. He attended Mary Bryan Elementary School, Southport Middle School, and Southport High School where he excelled academically as well as in track, basketball, and football. He was recently inducted in to the SHS Wall of Fame. After high school, he attended Purdue University where he played football at the linebacker position. Many of his teammates recall him as a "team-first" guy with a smile that could light up the room. He graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Selling/Sales Management. After graduating...[more]

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e began his career at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in a sales role. He married Rachel in 2016 and they began to build a life that they were proud of and grateful for. His wife will always remember him as a strong, devoted, and even-keeled husband. He was her calm in many of life's storms. Joe was diagnosed with a Grade 4 Spinal Glioblastoma in March of 2017. Even though the odds, survival rate and lack of medical research were stacked against him, he never once doubted that he would be healed from this awful disease. His faith in our Ultimate Healer was concrete and he often encouraged others to keep their faith during his season of illness as well. Joe spent nearly a third of the past year and a half of his diagnosis in hospitals as the tumor began to spread throughout his spine and brain. Many will never know how relentlessly he fought his fight against cancer with several rounds of radiation, chemotherapy, experimental/trial drugs, rehabilitation and countless procedures. Joe came to know the Lord at the young age of 7 and served on the Usher Board at Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church as a teenager. He attended Calvary Baptist Church in West Lafayette and Lakeview Church in Indianapolis. He allowed the Lord to guide every day of his life and is now worshipping at the feet of our Heavenly Father.