March 03, 1925 - October 26, 2017
Beatrice M. (Caine) Gilliam (Age 92) passed away peacefully on October 26, 2017 at the Cheney Care Center in Cheney, WA. She and her twin sister and best friend, Bernice, were born on March 2, 1925 in St. Maries, ID and raised by her mother, Bertha (Reiger) Caine. In keeping with her loving nature, she attended the Sacred Heart Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1946. She soon met Harland Gilliam, and they married in 1949 in Colfax, WA. They lived in Pullman, WA, where Harland rose to become Chief of Police. Over the next several years, the couple was blessed with three children: Douglas (1952), Lynn (1956), and Craig (1957). In 1973, the family moved to Williams Lake in Cheney. There, she discovered her love of making candles and even had a tiny business, earning her the nickname of The Candle Lady. She loved living at the lake and made many friends and many wonderful memories. In recent years, her greatest joy was meeting, playing with, and doting on her great-grandson, Max. With the frequent and loving aid of Lynns husband, Randy Rueppel, she was able to live in that same home until 2015 when injury necessitated her move into assisted living and then full-time care at the Cheney Care Center. Left to honor Bea and remember her love are her three children and their spouses; her grandchildren, Christopher Thompson and his wife Sandra; her great-grandson, Maxwell Thompson; and her loving nieces who thought of her as a second mother. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her brother and twin sister. To her family and friends, she will always be remembered as a bright, shining light of love with a laugh that could light up an entire room. Family, friends, and others whose lives Bea touched are invited to Spokane Memorial Gardens, 5909 Cheney-Spokane Rd in Spokane, at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, November 7 to reminisce, grieve, and support one another. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Paralyzed Veterans of America in Beas honor.
