Obituary of John Frederick Gilbert

JOHN FREDERICK GILBERT, Left this Earth July 8, 2019 in Portland, OR. Born June 29, 1938 in Bennington, VT, first child of Henry M. Gilbert of Dorset, VT and Margaret B. Hattersley of Nutley, NJ. They lived in Dorset where HMG was the town plumber, carpenter and house mover, until moving to Nutley, NJ in 1942. John attended public schools, graduating from Nutley High School in 1956. He then enrolled at Rutgers University where he majored in Engineering, and joined Sigma Phi Epsilon, then worked in the electrical engineering field in the Boston, MA area. When he left Massachusetts he traveled by motorcycle in Europe for 14 months with his future wife, Claudia Robbins, marrying in 1966 in Gibraltar. Upon return they resided in San Francisco where he found employment in Sunnyvale, CA. There he worked successfully in research related to early developments in the semiconductor field. After two years, John went back to school to earn a dual Masters in Physics and Math at San Francisco State College. In 1970 the couple relocated to Vermont where John had accepted a position teaching at the Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center. John and Claudia purchased 75 acres in East Brookfield, homesteaded there, building their own home and raising their daughter, Rebecca, born in 1972. In 1980, John retired from teaching to pursue furniture making and woodworking. John suffered a near fatal neck fracture when he was in his 40s that limited and troubled him chronically. Through much of his life, his interests and joys included music (esp. Jazz, Blues, Cajun, Bluegrass and Old-Time), cooking, fine carpentry, the Southwest, the outdoors, and the new-and-original in art or culture. He was known for his dry wit, discerning musical ear, self-sufficiency and inventiveness. After divorcing in 1985, John returned to his love of the road and rambled back and forth across the country, dropping in on friends or a favorite music festival. He found work as a finish carpenter and furniture builder in Boston, MA; Santa Fe, NM; Beaumont, TX; Charlottesville, VA; and Portland, OR, but always returned to Vermont after his stints away. Later in life, John moved full time to Portland to be nearer his daughter, Rebecca, her partner Brian Bagdonas, and his extended family of cousins. John is survived by his daughter Rebecca Gilbert of Portland, OR; prior wife Claudia Robbins of Sonoma, CA; sister Nancy Gilbert of Sacramento, CA; sister Jennifer Gilbert of Essex, VT; niece Anya (Boyd) Koutras, and grand-nieces Lydia and Grace Koutras of Williston, VT; his cat Ollie; and many dear cousins, friends and neighbors. His ashes will travel to his long term and paternal family’s homeland, Vermont. His head stone is expected in Maple Hill Cemetery, Dorset, VT, joining many preceding relatives. Cremation Services by Crown Memorial, Portland, OR.