Wildwood tram car driver as iconic as the tram itself dies at 97

Now I come from a long line of people who live to a ripe old age. My aunt Carol just turned 100 and she still lives alone and takes care of herself unassisted. I had a great aunt live to 102. My grandfather was 98.

But none of those relatives still worked at that age.

So it’s an extraordinary story on several levels that a locally famous tram car driver in Wildwood just passed away. John “Gigi” Gigliotti died at 97 years old.

For the last 35 years he operated one of the iconic tram cars on the Wildwood boardwalk. That’s right, according to nj.com and a published obituary,  this gentleman only retired in May of this year.

Wow!

To say he loved life has to be an understatement. He was so well-known that yearly tourists would remember him by name and ask for him personally. He was one of these positive people who lights up a room. Or, in this case, a boardwalk.

Watch The Tram Car Please, it's back for '26 | Boardwalk SID/Wildwood BID

To work up until 97 years old is an amazing story. How did he do it?

“All I did all my life was work,”

Gigliotti once told NJ.com. 

“I never golfed, never smoked, never drank, never did nothing — except work. So that’s my hobby.”

May was not his first retirement. He previously retired from Conrail after 40 years of service as a conductor.

On the Watch The Tramcar Please Facebook page there was a tribute:

“His smile, his stories, his kindness, and the way he made everyone feel welcome - that was his gift to this island. He wasn’t just part of the boardwalk…he was part of our lives.”

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

Report a correction 👈