Roy Gillian, former mayor of Ocean City, New Jersey and founder of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, dies at age 94
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Roy Gillian, former mayor of Ocean City, New Jersey, founder of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier and longtime community figure, died Saturday at the age of 94, a local funeral home announced.
Gillian, grandfather and great-grandfather, were married for 39 years. In 1957, he and his brother Bob took over the Fun Deck amusement park, which had been founded in 1930 by his father David Gillian.
Roy Gillian opened Wonderland Pier at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk in 1965 and later founded Gillian’s Island and Adventure Golf.
While operating the pier, he entered local politics – he served as Ocean City Commissioner for four years and later became Commissioner of Cape May CountyHe was mayor of Ocean City from 1986 to 1990.
Gillian has also served as president of Shore Medical Center and Jersey Cape Diagnostic and Training Center, a board member of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, and as board chair and director of Ocean City Home Bank.
He was born in Havertown, Pennsylvania in 1929 and graduated from Haverford High School in 1947. He served in the U.S. Army for two years from 1951 to 1953.
Gillian will be buried with military honors. His family will accept flowers or memorial donations in Gillian’s name to Shore Medical Center at 100 Medical Center Way, Somers Point, New Jersey.
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Gillian’s Wonderland Pier closes
The news of Roy Gillian’s death came just a week after the death of his son Jay announced the closure of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier.
Like his father, Jay also became mayor of Ocean City and was re-elected to a fourth term in 2022.
In a letter posted on Facebook and the company’s website, Jay Gillian said he started at the pier when he was 13 and learned how to repair and operate rides alongside his brother.
“I have done my best to keep Wonderland alive for as long as possible, despite the difficult challenges that have arisen each year. But the business is no longer profitable,” he wrote in the letter.
Jay Gillian said it was unclear what would happen to the property since he no longer owned it.
