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Obituary of Gilbert Junior Amaral
January 5, 1978 – Paget, Bermuda
February 16, 2022 – Calgary, Alberta
Gilly was born in Paget, Bermuda on January 5, 1978. He moved to Calgary, AB, Canada, on January 31, 2020. Gilly and Melanie got engaged on January 1, 2021, they planned on getting married after settling some other personal matters. He was in the process of immigrating with a spousal sponsorship with Melanie and starting his life anew with her, his son Tai, and Melanie’s two daughters, Brittany, and Alexandra. Gilly had a job lined up and was awaiting the paperwork to follow his dreams. He was so excited for what was to come and had so many plans about bringing it to fruition.
Gilly worked from the time he was fifteen doing a variety of jobs such as milkman, vegetable delivery, and working at the grocery store, eventually he got into the trade of autobody, owning his own business in Bermuda for a period of time. He was a skilled and talented man who took on new projects with ease and passion and made them incredible from start to finish. While waiting for all the paperwork to be approved, Gilly had done some projects at home and was currently renovating the family’s 1978 trailer to make it more functional and to bring out his style within it. Melanie and their children know the hopes and dreams Gilly had for it and will try to fulfill them to the best of their abilities. They pray that he guides them through it so they can achieve his many amazing ideas.
Gilly accomplished much through his life and was particularly proud of his son Tai, his nephews, and his sister Liz. He cherished them beyond anything. He also was so proud of his accomplishments with autobody and taking on every challenge that came his way. Gilly was also proud to be a father figure to his stepdaughters, Alexandra, and Brittany, and cherished them like his own. Gilly was an amazing son-in-law to Momma Janet (Melanie’s mom); she absolutely adored Gilly, and he was always there for her, as he was everyone.
Gilly was involved in the Bermuda Regiment, where he did a lot of cooking. He would often talk about cooking for the large groups, the equipment used, cooking for special functions, and some of the travels he did during that time. Gilly was an amazing cook and loved to spend time cooking. He would cook a feast for the family with tried-and-true traditional Portuguese family recipes, as well as discovering new dishes to make. The holidays were full of big plans for meals, and they brought the family together. He would often be calling his sister Liz to get some of his mom’s recipes so he could cook them, especially around the holidays. Everyone loved his barbequed jerk chicken, which was a hit at every camping event with friends and family in Calgary.
Gilly and Melanie often explored new campsites around the area, be it campgrounds or Crown Land, looking forward to getting a new trailer after retirement so they could travel and live the year-round camping life. They had recently gone to a trailer show just to get some ideas for what they wanted.
Gilly absolutely adored his animals at home. From the birds to Badger the mouse, who he just had to get for Brittany, their 13-year-old Yorkie cross, Koko; as well as their newly-adopted-to-the-family puppy Chayce, a 10-month-old Yorkipoo. From day one, as soon as Gilly had Chayce in his arms as a foster, he said he wasn’t going back, and Chayce was going to be adopted by their family. Gilly absolutely adored the dogs, he spent so much time snuggling them. They had a routine of morning snuggles, then treats, afternoon snuggles, and really, snuggles all day. Gilly always said his mom was looking down and laughing because Chayce was so similar to her dog Kemo, and he would always bug her about treating him like a baby, and here he was doing the exact same thing.
Gilly had a passion for motorcycles and had planned on renting one to go on a road trip with Melanie, he wanted to take the kids on a ride as well. He was constantly looking for motorcycles or off-road vehicles that they could take camping to enjoy an activity that he absolutely loved. He would often talk about the track in Bermuda and would watch live feeds on Instagram of races there. He also spoke of his adventures go-karting in Bermuda and his annual Fathers Day boat rides with Tai.
Gilly loved trying new foods and new places to eat, he loved to go for Sushi and Vietnamese food, or just to go for a beer – which usually turned into dinner to either watch some sports, or simply people-watch. Gilly and Melanie had a couple favourite spots that they would go to on their date nights, which they enjoyed. Melanie is looking forward to sharing these spots with the kids, they will share stories and memories, keeping Gilly’s memory alive. Gilly enjoyed getting out and experiencing new activities. Whether it was going to the driving range, going for a drive, or playing pool, he always wanted to enjoy time and activities with his family. Gilly was excited to get tickets to see his first hockey game in person with Melanie. They had planned on taking golf lessons and, once again, he was excited to try something new.
Gilly’s most memorable vacation was anytime he went camping; he enjoyed the outdoors, fun with friends, and time with family. Gilly and Melanie would go alone, just the two of them, with the kids, or with their large group of friends. The last camping event was Melanie’s birthday weekend with friends and family, where Gilly was so excited to set off fireworks. He had bought some fireworks during another camping adventure but was unable to set them off, and he held onto them in anticipation of that day. Gilly and Melanie had plans to spend even more time camping this summer than they did last year. He also spoke a lot about New York, and how he wanted to take Melanie there one day, as well as plans to travel and go on cruises. He was looking forward to and spoke often about wanting to go back to Bermuda with Melanie and the kids to surprise his family and friends in person and to have the opportunity for them to meet.
One of Gilly’s favourite sayings was singing out “I’m in love with the Koko” when talking to their dog, which was in reference to a song he would listen to, but Melanie and the kids would all just laugh at him every time he sang that out. He always tried to find inspirational sayings to post that expressed “he was on the way to his dreams and could rise above anything that challenged him or stood in the way.” Gilly was definitely on his way there, things were all starting to fall in place; family, paperwork, and a strong future, he was working so hard on his family’s future and never wanted to lose Melanie, their kids, or the life that was coming. Unfortunately, Gilly was taken far too soon to see everything he had dreamed for come true. His family prays that he is living his dream with those that passed before him, and until they meet again, Gilly will be loved from this side, and his family will try to bring some of the dreams he really wanted for Tai and the girls to life.
Gilly will be most remembered for the compassion and kindness he had towards others. He made sure everyone around him felt loved, cared for, and well taken care of. Every morning he would make coffee and bring it to Melanie, and he would make lunches and dinners. He would always text Melanie and their kids, telling them he loved them. He was in essence quiet about his thoughts and feelings, for the most part, but never hesitated to ensure people knew they were loved by him. Gilly would often write more of his feelings than express them directly, his words are a comfort for Melanie and the kids to read, knowing that he loved them with all his heart and wanted to spend the rest of his life with them.
As hard as it was with Gilly’s passing, it was an honour to be there with him, and hopefully he knew and saw how much he was loved in that exact moment as he left his earthly body. He was our rock, many times he would be there to comfort fears, work on making a strong relationship and family, and be a huge support to us through any situation we needed him for, regardless of how he was feeling. He wrote on several occasions “I never felt true love till I met you, a lot of the time I feel like I don’t deserve such a great woman. You make me feel like a good man”. He was such a great man, I could not have asked for anyone better to come into my life, he made a huge impact on everyone he met, I was thankful that he became friends with my friends, and that he always had such a connection with those in his life. In turn, we all truly hope he felt and knew how much he was loved by us. He had such a strength about him, yet such a gentleness. He would go to the end of the earth for his loved ones, and he showed that to us over and over.
Gilly was such a special man, we were so grateful to have him in our lives, even if for a short time. He never wanted to be a burden to anyone, I hope he knows we would do this all over again if we had the chance, I wouldn’t change anything, except to express even more how much I loved him than what I had. Ours was an unexpected by-chance love story, that was starting to come together, our lives were falling into place. We thought we’d have more time, although it was a short time, it felt like so much longer that he was with me.
Besides his loving partner Melanie Kellow, Gilly is survived by his son Tai of Bermuda, who would be turning 18 this March. Tai was the light of Gilly’s life, he wanted nothing more then to have Tai with him and was thankful to have that opportunity before he passed. Tai was Gilly’s whole world. Gilly is also survived by his two stepdaughters, Alexandra Kellow, and Brittany Kellow, both of Calgary, AB; his sister Elizabeth (Stanley) Carreiro; nephews, Dillon, and Darren, of Bermuda; his father Gilbert (Donna) Amaral of Bermuda, and his aunt Lucy Valentim of ON, Canada, as well as numerous cousins and friends, Gilly knew so many people and he loved them all. Gilly was predeceased by his mother Alzira, his uncle Joao “Johnny Rabbit” Carreiro, his cousin Justin Carreiro “Snipper”, and his aunt Louisa Dias.
A private family viewing is arranged. Condolences, memories, and photos may also be shared and viewed here.
The family would like to express sincere appreciation to the medical staff that attended to Gilly and the support they provided to his family during this very difficult time. Thank you, as well, for the outpour of support from extended family and friends that Gilly loved. It means the world to us to have that support in this difficult time. We know this will not get easier; it will get different. We will have challenges, we will have good days, and bad days, but we know that he will always be in our hearts and our memories, and we keep him alive in those with us. Rest in Peace Honey, until we meet again, may you sing, cook, take new adventures, watch over us, guide us and protect us. Our heart breaks at this loss but is so full of love from you. We love you beyond words Gilly – Love Melanie, Tai, Alexandra, and Brittany.
In living memory of Gilbert Amaral, a tree will be planted in the future.
