Vietnam Veterans honored Gary Lillie with a military tribute during his memorial service on Sunday in Ypsilanti Township.

Jeff Smith | For AnnArbor.com

The shirts, summing up what the country was like following the war, read simply: “Same. Same. Only different.”

That’s a lot like how things will be for Lillie’s fellow veterans now that Lillie, one of their leaders and a beloved brother in arms, is gone.

Lillie was killed on Aug. 4, when he was struck and killed by a suspected drunken driver as he walked along Marshall Road near his Scio Township home.

Hundreds of mourners - many wearing combat fatigues and carrying flags, packed the Ypsilanti Township Civic Center on Sunday to pay their respects to Lillie, who, in addition to his efforts on behelf of fellow veterans, was also a prominent real estate broker.

“We would always greet one another with a hug and say, ‘Welcome home.’” recalled Gordon Moore, pastor of the Vietnam Veterans of America local chapter 310.

“Now Gary is home.”

Following Sunday’s memorial service, Lillie’s ashes were dedicated in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial outside the Civic Center, accompanied by bagpipers and a 21-gun salute. It was fitting sendoff for a man who dedicated so much of his life to fellow veterans.

Friends recalled Lillie’s compassion, his leadership, his strong political views, his honesty in business and his ability to find humor, even during the grimmest of times.

Mostly, they celebrated a friend, a brother and someone who led by example.

“He was a great example for everyone in this room,” said former State Rep. and Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Ruth Ann Jamnick, who worked with Lillie to construct the veterans’ memorial.

“He showed us all how we should carry ourselves and what we should do for our country.”

After Lillie returned from Vietnam, friends said, he was shocked to see the treatment he and fellow veterans received from Americans who didn’t seem to appreciate the sacrifices soldiers made for their country. He spent the rest of his life standing up for veterans and ensuring that they got the recognition he felt they deserved.

He worked tirelessly on veterans affairs, spearheading the effort to dedicate the Ypsilanti Township memorial, establishing Veterans Radio, a weekly program on AM radio, and - perhaps more than anything - always being there for a veteran in need.

That kindness came up over and over on Sunday, as mourners remembered their friend and brother.

“When I came home I had my own ghosts,” said a tearful Russ Brown, recalling his return from the first Gulf War two decades ago. “Gary was kind enough to reach out to me and to share the Vietnam Veterans mantra that none shall be forgotten."

Dustin Gellman recalled being taken under Lillie’s wing as a teenager, then serving an apprenticeship with Lillie as he established his own real estate career.

Together, Gellman and Lillie thrived in business. But a deep friendship also blossomed, one that would take the pair all around the world, including Lillie’s return to Hill 35 in Vietnam, where he had served as a Naval “Seabee” during the war.

In the process, Gellman grew to see Lillie as a father figure and the two worked together to establish an online database of real-estate listings.

Lillie, he said, invested not only in his fledgling company, but, more importantly, in Gellman himself.

“I got to live my life with him and he taught me how to be a man,” Gellman said. “Gary gave me the best gift you can ever receive - confidence."