Tuesday, November 11th, 2014
Bernard Gillespie
Bernard "Keith" Gillespie, 86, Celina, died Nov. 7, 2014, at Wood Glenn Nursing Home, Dayton.
He was born Feb. 4, 1928, in Geneva, to Arthur and Mildred Smith Gillespie.
Surviving are several ex-wives and friends.
He lived an exceptional life. He joined the U.S. Navy at the tender age of 18. He was decorated and honorably discharged the following year.
He had an unfortunate but interesting run-in with the law in the 1950s. A 1961 FBI "wanted" poster described his then vocations as "automobile salesman, bank teller, night club operator and truck driver." The FBI also said he was "reportedly a ladies man."
Ultimately the law caught up with him and he was incarcerated at the Ohio Penitentiary from 1958-1964. His prison sentence was vacated in 1964 as a result of a violation of his due process rights during his sentencing. While in prison, he shared a cell with Dr. Sam Sheppard, the notorious, but ultimately exonerated Cleveland doctor accused of killing his wife. He and Sheppard remained friends after they were both released.
After prison, he reinvented himself as an entrepreneur, operating a popular supper club. He eventually retired, a lone wolf, to a tidy, quiet mobile home park near the shores of Grand Lake.
His friends had the pleasure of his sharp wit and quiet wisdom until the end.
His remains will be buried at Swamp College Cemetery. Arrangements are being handled by Lehman-Hogenkamp-Dzendzel Funeral Home, Celina.
