Obituary of Dr. Elmer S. Gilo

Dr. Elmer Sugui Gilo, a beloved physician and cherished member of the Sparta and Denville, NJ communities, passed away on Monday, October 7, 2024 at the age of 76, at Morristown Medical Center after a battle with cancer.

Born in 1948 in Dingras, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, Elmer graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1968 before attending medical school at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC). He immigrated to the United States in 1975 for his internal medicine training at Cabrini Health Care Center in New York City followed by family practice residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut. Certified by the American Board of Family Practice, Elmer owned and operated Denville Family Practice, in Denville, NJ for 35 years. His professional affiliations included St. Clare’s Hospital, the Morris Hills school system, Northwest Covenant Medical Centers, and Morris County Medical Society. In addition to his private medical practice, he cared for patients at Morris County AfterCare Center as the Assistant Medical Director for more than 20 years, and served as the Medical Director for the Morris County Correctional Facility for more than a decade.

Elmer was an active member of the UERMMMC Alumni Foundation U.S.A., having served as President of the organization dedicated to providing medical school scholarships for students in the Philippines.

When not practicing medicine, he was on the golf course with friends, family or his club, SP Golf USA, and over decades played many of the world’s most enviable courses. He could be found ballroom dancing at any party, and clapping wildly with pride at his grandchildren’s games and performances. In the company of his wife and lifelong friends, he traveled to more than 20 different countries on 5 continents, savoring each moment of his full life.

Elmer is survived by his devoted wife of 50 years, Dr. Belen Frias Gilo, and three daughters: Jennifer Gilo DeGroot and her husband, Alexander; Janina Gilo-Tomkins and her husband, Alex; and Jessica A Gilo and her partner, Jeffrey DeCanio. He is also survived by his four cherished grandchildren: Annabel DeGroot, Cristobal DeGroot, Nora Gilo-Tomkins and Lillian Gilo-Tomkins; adoring sister Brenda and her husband Larry Cohen; brother Alexander and his wife Amelia Gilo. He is preceded in death by his father Eulalio Claro Gilo, mother Presentacion Sugui Gilo, and sisters Milagros Jafri, Florence Gilo and Hazel Gilo.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 19, 2024 from 3:00PM to 7:00PM with a funeral prayer service starting at 6:00PM at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter

Avenue, Denville, NJ 07834 www.normandean.com.

Memorial donations can be made in his memory to the First Presbyterian Church of Sparta, 32 Main Street, Sparta, NJ 07871 by way www.inmemof.com.