In Memoriam: Commissioner Gary R. McGillivray

This page is redirected to honor the legacy of Commissioner Gary R. McGillivray. For more information on how to connect with the Board of Commissioners, please visit the homepage at www.oakgov.com/boc. Once a commissioner for District 3 has been named, the website will be updated with the relevant information. 

In Memoriam: Commissioner Gary R. McGillivray (1952 – 2023)

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Commissioner Gary McGillivray on November 3, 2023. First elected to the Board of Commissioners in November 2008, McGillivray faithfully represented county commission District 3 (Hazel Park, Madison Heights and portions of Troy). 

During his tenure of more than 15 years on the Board, he was chair of the Democratic Caucus, chair of the Legislative Affairs and Government Operations Committee and a member of the Public Health & Safety Committee. He was also a member and leader of several other committees, task forces and study groups. His leadership was instrumental in the creation of the chief of older adult services role at the county, and he was deeply committed to expanding programming and services for older residents. He also helped bring county resources to Madison Heights to demolish the former contaminated electro-plating business that caused "green ooze" to flow onto I-696.

Commissioner McGillivray took pride in his duties as a local public servant, dedicating himself to improving access to our county’s natural resources, advocating for those in his home community of Madison Heights and serving all of Oakland County for many years.  

Parks and Recreation

Commissioner McGillivray was passionate about creating and maintaining opportunities for residents to experience the outdoors and its various forms of recreation. He was honored to be appointed to the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission in 2011 and served as its most recent chair. 

Highlights from Commissioner McGillivray’s time as chairman of the Oakland County Parks include:

• Steering the Oakland County Parks out of an extended period of budget cutbacks and enabled the parks to make major improvements and expand the park system by securing much needed increases in revenue
• Establishing partnerships that resulted in the creation of the Holly Oaks ORV Park and the transition of Hawthorne Park to Pontiac Oaks
• Championing the Oakland County acquisition of his hometown Madison Heights Nature Center when the city could no longer afford to operate it, and oversaw its subsequent transition to Red Oaks Nature Center
• Ensuring core recreational facilities and services were maintained when the public needed them most during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite staffing shortages and other challenges

In July 2023, the city of Madison Heights renamed Twelve-Sherry Park, located on 12 Mile Road between Campbell and Stephenson roads, as McGillivray Park.  

Madison Heights Public Service

Commissioner McGillivray was mayor of Madison Heights from 1998 to 1999 and was a member of its city council from 1983 to 1998 and 2001 to 2008. In the community, his memberships included the Madison Heights Little Baseball Board of Directors and Michigan Municipal League Legislative Committee and chairing the Madison Heights Planning Commission. In 2018, McGillivray was named Madison Heights Volunteer of the Year.

Personal and Professional Life

In addition to his life in public service, McGillivray worked in the circulation department for The Daily Tribune and The Macomb Daily for 29 years. At The Daily Tribune, he was recognized as District Manager of the Year in 1997. He studied law enforcement for two years at Oakland Community College and was a Madison Heights Police Reserves and Probation Officer. He is survived by his two children, Andy and Amy, and granddaughter Mathilda. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 48 years, Diane, who passed away in October 2023.