Christopher “Chip” Gillespie of Westport Point died Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, after a long illness, surrounded by his family. He was 72.

Born Sept. 23, 1942, in Exeter, New Hampshire, to Janet Lansing Wicks and William Ernest Gillespie, he graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and Princeton University. After three years in the Coast Guard, including a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam on a patrol boat out of Danang, he earned a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Washington, and went on to work for 31 years as an architect at Dyer Brown Associates in Boston, New Bedford, and London, designing new office buildings, historic restoration (notably the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford), municipal buildings, and houses, his passion. There are houses all over the SouthCoast area that bear his mark — traditional New England style, often featuring what he called the “Newburyport jog,” a sliding of the gable end at the ridge to provide for a window for a good view. He loved architecture. “Look UP!” he told us, as we walked around New Bedford with him once, pointing out the angles, roof lines and windows, the details of an arch.

In addition to his busy professional life, he contributed generously to his community. He served on a number of boards in Westport — the Historical Commission, the Landing Commission, the Westport Point United Methodist Church — and also served as a trustee for Friends Academy in Dartmouth. As chairman of the board of WHALE (the Waterfront Historic Area League) in New Bedford, he and then-Executive Director Tony Souza, secured the funding through Sen. Edward Kennedy to restore the historic Corson building in New Bedford, now the Corson Maritime Learning Center, a part of the New Bedford Whaling National Park.

In 2010, Chip was chosen “Westport Man of the Year” by the New Bedford Standard-Times for his heroic efforts on behalf of the Westport Fishermen’s Association to save the old Horseneck Point Lifesaving Station, then a derelict of a building, used from 1888 until 1914 to rescue people at sea. It was this kind of project that was a hallmark of what Chip loved to do — talk to local people who knew some of the old-timers and working with them on historic research, “learning new stuff,” as he would have said. He worked on a farm as a milkman and field hand when he was in college, for a while was a “shacker” on a lobster boat, where he filled bait bags and gauged and banded lobsters as they were hauled in. On early spring days, he’d get up early and walk the shore of the West River, scavenging for drift wood, scallop shells, and hunting for wild asparagus, which he’d bring home for breakfast. He’d go quahogging in the middle of the river at low tide, stalk greener crabs in the eelgrass from his rowboat. When Bordy Tripp plowed up his fields for planting, Chip would row across the river and hunt for arrowheads in the disked fresh earth.  He learned to do carpentry from his grandfather and to sail the river and sea from his uncles.  Heaven was a hot summer afternoon sailing on the river. In the Coast Guard he learned navigation, to “shoot” stars at night, and he loved the evenings on the flying bridge doing flag hoist drills and trading signal light messages with other ships. He loved being in the midst of family and friends and invented games and projects so they could all have fun together.

“Every day is just once,” he said,  “so try to do something every day that you enjoy, even if only for a few minutes.”  And that’s the way he lived his life, even through the difficult days of his illness.

He leaves his wife of 43 years, Gay, their three children, Alison, Ben (wife Kim), and Kate Jandernoa (husband Tom), and grandchildren Jonathan, Alayna, Kayla, and Carson; sisters Hilly van Loon, Peggy Gillespie, and brother Tim Gillespie, and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to the Westport Fishermen’s Association PO Box 83, Westport Point MA 02791 (checks made out to: Horseneck Point Lifesaving Station); or WHALE (the Waterfront Historic Area League), 128 Union St. New Bedford, MA 02740 (checks made out to: WHALE).

A celebration of Chip’s life will be held Saturday, Feb. 21, 2 p.m., at the Westport Point United Methodist Church at 1912 Main Road.

To sign the on-line guest book, please visit www.potterfuneralservice.com.