Payson, Utah - Susan Hope (Neill) Gillham passed away on February 28, 2026, after a long and challenging series of medical and health issues. Sue was a beloved friend, daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. Sue lived a wonderful life. She left a lasting and positive impact on so many others during her lifetime. We will miss her. We cherish her memory and know she is at peace.

Sue was born in Salt Lake City on April 5, 1947. Her paternal grandfather was the doctor who delivered her; that delivery was the start of her grandparents’ special love for her. Sue’s parents, Richard G. Neill and Iris Dawn (Thomas) Neill loved their first child and gave her a wonderful life growing up in Midvale, SLC, and Holladay. She loved her parents but was especially involved in her dad’s life, his studies, and his time working with the US Forest Service in the summers.

She loved learning, being in school, and was always a learner. She attended Olympus High School, where she graduated, but also Skyline High School for Russian. After high school, she attended the University of Utah. During her lifetime, she graduated from Cameron College (BS) in Lawton, Oklahoma; the University of Utah (MA in German and TESOL Certification); and earned her Commercial Driver’s Certification (CDL). She never stopped trying to learn new things and to share those new things with others.

She loved music and languages. In high school she played the piano and the French horn. She was involved in numerous school bands; when she went to the University of Utah, she was a member of the Marching Band. She had a lifelong love affair with languages and learned to speak German and some Russian. As an adult, she combined this love of languages with a love of teaching to become a Teacher of English as Second Language (TESOL) focusing on adult students and refugees.

She married her first husband, Stanley J. Gordon, Sr. in 1967. After he graduated from the University of Utah and received his Army commission, they became an Army family for eleven years. Their children were born at different assignments in Fort Carson, CO; Salt Lake City during Stan’s deployment to Vietnam; Fort Sill, OK, and the US Army General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany.

As an Army family, she was involved in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints branches and wards at their duty stations. She loved to travel and was able to experience various places in Europe and the middle east during the family’s assignment in Germany. In 1978, after five years in Germany, Sue, Stan, and their children left the Army and returned to Salt Lake City. Sue and Stan then divorced in 1989.

Sue married Richard D. Gillham (Dick) in 1991. Dick was a truck driver. Soon after meeting, they drove all over North America together. After Sue and Dick left trucking, they settled in Ventura, Iowa and soon were pursuing Dick’s dream of running a restaurant: Gill’s by the Lake in Crystal Lake and the Hungry Hangar in Mason City, Iowa. They eventually brought their famous Broasted chicken and home cooking to The Old Bonnet Factory in Mayfield, UT to be closer to family. Enjoying great food and being wonderful hosts were large parts of their lives together in Iowa, Gunnison and Payson. Sadly, Dick passed away in August 2022.

Sue was a strong advocate for her youngest son, as he has fought to overcome his hearing and vision deficits. She instilled that advocacy within her family. She was a gentle person who loved to share a laugh and story with others. She was a loyal and generous friend. She loved reading. She was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP). She loved family history and temple work. She loved dogs, and her last dog, Roxie, filled Sue’s heart with an extra helping of joy.

Sue enjoyed family gatherings and loved being with her family. She and her family created great memories attending Renaissance Fairs, the Gunnison 4th of July celebration, the Payson Fish Fry, and participating in events during the Christmas season. As Sue grew older, she fought health issues for a long time, but she never gave up, and she never gave in.

Sue is survived by her mother Iris Neill of Gunnison, her brothers Glenn (Sandy) Neill and Steven Neill all from Gunnison, and her sister Patty (Don) Pryor of Springville. She is also survived by her children: Richard (Staci) Gordon of Hawaii, James (Jill) Gordon of Bountiful, Jennie (Brad) Weltzin of Taylorsville, and David Gordon of Payson. She has eight grandchildren. We all loved her and will miss her dearly.

Our family would love to offer special thanks to all her friends and neighbors where they've lived, and to the Intermountain Health Care Palliative Care Team, ADVVV Hospice, and the Capitol Hill Memory Care Unit for their kind and supportive care.

A viewing will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 11:00A.M.-1:00P.M. in the Payson LDS 6th Ward building, 5237 West 10400 South, Payson, UT. Cremation will take place after and will be under the care of Springer Turner Funeral Homes of Richfield and Salina.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages helping others through donations to the IHC Liver Transplant Unit.

We love you, Grandma Sue.