James “Manny” Gilley passed away on December 1, 2025, at the age of 81.
Manny was born January 24, 1944, in Jenkins Co. Kentucky. He lived in Hayden, IN until he served in the Navy from 1961 -1965. After leaving the Navy, Manny resided in Seymour, IN and Ohio before moving to Georgia in 1983. He worked as a HVAC technician until he retired in 2012. Manny was a member of Pleasant Valley South Baptist Church.
He enjoyed gardening, playing guitar, singing, fishing, and hunting squirrels. Manny was a generous man. He loved his family and loved spending time with them. Manny always had a good story to tell and was forever making people laugh with his jokes.
Manny is survived by his wife Margaret Gilley; his brother, Timothy Gilley; children, Marcella Byers, Rebecca Ruddick, Kricket Smith (Rob), Sonya English (Ron), Beth Rivera (Omar), and Paul Gilley. He is also survived by 25 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service to honor his life will be held Saturday, January 24th at 2pm in the Chapel of Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, South Chapel.
Henderson and Sons Funeral Home, South Chapel, is honored to serve the family of James “Manny” Gilley.
