By Andrew Meacham, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
LARGO — A star high in a tree led visitors to John Pillis' yard each December. When they arrived, the electric train set and village kept them there.
Individual lights illuminated each 1-foot-long car, and the neighboring pool of colored hues from his house and shrubs shone on the train set, the unquestionable centerpiece of his yard.
Mr. Pillis, a retired engineer and insurance executive, found his release getting ready for his neighborhood's Lights of Lake Park display, one of the most notable in Pinellas County every year.
Since several neighbors started it in 1993, the display has drawn more than 100,000 visitors a year and netted more than $500,000 for Suncoast Hospice.
Mr. Pillis was one of the men who collected money from well-wishers. But he preferred explaining the train set to children, or making sure no one tripped over all the cords.
The Lights of Lake Park is "one of the best displays you're going to see," said neighbor Pam Bowman. "John's display was specifically for the kids who come through in their jammies or their little wagons. Their eyes are all filled up as they get ready for Christmas."
For the first 10 years, before the Lake Park Homeowners Association took over the event several years ago, a handful of neighbors, including Mr. Pillis, raised $24,000 to $30,000 a year on their own, Bowman said.
Severe back pain prevented Mr. Pillis from working in the yard as much as he would have liked. When he did get out, a 2-year-old rescue Yorkie mix was always by his side. Mr. Pillis found Daisy Mae at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and chose her the moment she licked his face.
Mr. Pillis liked the idea of rescuing a pet. His wife said he was a fan of underdogs everywhere. He also fretted about the fate of American soldiers serving in combat.
"He hated to hear about men who were being killed," said Trudy Pillis, his wife.
They met in the late 1960s in Washington, D.C. He had just gotten out of the Army; she was just out of business school.
They married in 1969 and immediately moved to Treasure Island to live on the water and beat the cold weather. He worked for ECI-Raytheon as a systems engineer, then moved into insurance and financial services.
His Christmas display regularly stopped traffic and became a natural performance site for visiting choirs.
Mr. Pillis underwent surgery in March to relieve spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal. He felt better last week, and even worked in the yard a couple of days.
His wife thought nothing of it when he lay down next to Daisy Mae's crate the night of Aug. 27 and fell asleep. About 3 a.m. Saturday, she noticed he was motionless and not breathing.
"Did he have an electric train display at Christmas?" one of the paramedics asked.
Mr. Pillis died Aug. 28, a couple of feet from Daisy Mae. He was 70.
Andrew Meacham can be reached at (727) 892-2248 or ameacham@sptimes.com.