VFW Post Commander Killed In Crash

The commander of Hernando Beach VFW Post 9236 was killed early Friday morning in a single-vehicle crash.

Dennis Gill, 60, was driving south on Shoal Line Boulevard around 1:10 a.m. when he veered onto the road shoulder, troopers say. His pickup truck spun counterclockwise, swerved across the road and struck a tree, partially ejecting Mr. Gill.

Mr. Gill, of Spring Hill, died at the scene of the crash.

His widow, Gail Gill, remembered him Friday afternoon as a "wonderful, wonderful man" who had a heart for veterans.

A Brooklyn native, Mr. Gill was a decorated U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. His injuries earned him a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star, but also left him a 100 percent disabled.

He worked part-time as a letter carrier and did maintenance work at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. The latter position brought him into contact with a number of stars, including Mary Tyler Moore and Steve Martin.

He was previously married for 13 years before his wife died of cancer. Gill married him two years ago after they met at the VFW post on Shoal Line Boulevard. They enjoyed playing billiards together; her most treasured memory is a trip to Daytona Beach.

Gill remembers him as a playful tease, who would turn on the cold water when she was taking a shower.

Mr. Gill was entering his second year as commander at the post and members hailed him for his creative ideas to make it more welcoming to veterans. He was returning home after a meeting at the post Friday when he crashed.

He inherited a 3-year-old grandson with his marriage to Gill and the two became fast friends. The tot came over to Gill's house on Friday and struggled to understand why he couldn't find his "granpart."

"I just don't know how to explain it to him," a tearful Gill said.