Gil Borelli loved to tell jokes and stories, but he didn’t like being interrupted.
If that happened, he would raise his hand and say, “Hey, I work alone.”
Borelli, former national advertising manager for The Denver Post, died July 25 at his Centennial home. He was 76.
He died of lung cancer though he had never smoked, said his wife, Jeri Borelli.
Gil Borelli, who worked for the Post for 40 years and retired 12 years ago, was “pretty easygoing but all business, too,” said longtime colleague Jim Saykally, of Wheat Ridge. “If you screwed up, he wanted you to come clean and admit it. If he didn’t like you, he let you know it.”
“He always told us to make friends with a client before trying to sell them something,” said Saykally, who knew Borelli for 45 years.
“He was a terrific national manager,” said Allen Walters, who was vice president of advertising for The Denver Post. “When I came to town, he made sure I knew all the right people. He knew everyone in town and introduced me to everyone. He had great relationships with people.”
“He was smart, witty, funny and friendly,” said Nancy Crimmins, special sections editor for the Denver Newspaper Agency.
“He told jokes with the greatest gusto and sometimes laughed so hard at his own jokes that he’d get tears in his eyes,” Crimmins said.
“He was a people person,” said one of his sons, Steve Borelli, of Highlands Ranch. “And he was always there if we needed advice. He had a great read on things.”
“He was a good sounding board,” said another son, Dave Borelli, of Littleton.
Gil Borelli loved sports, especially baseball. “I can still remember him listening to the old Denver Bears on radio,” said Dave Borelli.
Gil Borelli was born in Denver on Jan. 31, 1932, and graduated from Cathedral High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Regis College, now Regis University, and his first professional job was at The Denver Post.
“I think he had worked at the Denargo Market, cleaning vegetables for $1 an hour, when he was a kid,” his wife said.
She was a United Airlines hostess when they met. They married May 4, 1957.
In addition to his wife and sons, Gil Borelli is survived by his mother, Nettie Borelli, 101, of Littleton; his sister, Bernadette Borelli of Santa Fe; and three grandchildren.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
