Ralph Richard Gilbert

Ralph Richard Gilbert, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and
great-grandfather, passed away at the age of 87 on October 24, 2024. He
was born on September 6, 1937 to Harry Daniel Gilbert and Edna Margaret
Gilbert (nee Winekoff). He was raised in a family with no shortage of
siblings, most notably his best friend, Harry “Sonny” Gilbert, who preceded
him in death, and his baby sister, Diane Gilbert.

Always the jokester, Ralph spent his childhood getting into trouble with
Sonny (although he would blame all of the trouble on Sonny convincing him
to do it). As he grew into a young man, he met Verna Mae Forinash, who
would become the love of his life. If you asked Ralph, Verna demanded he
take her to the altar, and he did so with the promise to purchase her teeth
and a pair of new shoes, which he did. They were wed in the preacher’s
house in Wayne, Michigan, on June 7, 1957. After the ceremony, they then
celebrated their marriage over a pair of hot dogs.

Ralph and Verna would go on to have three children: Cynthia “Cindy”
Crowl, nee Gilbert (Mark Crowl), Keith Gilbert (Lori Gilbert), and Terri
Gilbert. They would spend most of their time traveling–making many trips
around the continental United States, and often moving back and forth
between California and Michigan. Most notably, they enjoyed their visits to
Las Vegas and Florida.

When his first child was born (Cindy) in 1959, Ralph was employed as
what he would later refer to as a “mailman for the stars,” delivering Bob
Hope’s mail in Hollywood, California— a story he would continue to tell for
years to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ralph would acquire a
few different jobs in his life at varying times: from delivering mail, working
for Wayne County, to investing in rental properties he would claim to partake
in when everyone knew it was truly Verna pulling the strings and getting
things done.

Retiring in his forties, Ralph and Verna spent their lives together,
welcoming all three of their grandchildren–Mark, Mollie, and Devon–until
Verna’s sudden passing in 2001. Together, they enjoyed their family, RV
trips, and gambling at the casino or playing bingo games.

After Verna’s death, Ralph spent his remaining years dedicated to his
late wife–often taking any opportunity to talk about how in awe of her he
was and proclaiming repeatedly, “they just don’t make them like her
anymore.”

Never quite evolving from the grief that the loss of Verna caused,
Ralph spent time celebrating the successes of his grandchildren and
great-grandchildren, traveling to Vegas, and laughing at movies or old shows
such as The Three Stooges. Ralph was kind and laidback (even more so as
he grew older), but would never fail to show his stubborn and rebellious
streak to anyone that dared tell him that he couldn’t do something.

Ralph passed away in his home, surrounded by family—exactly where
he wanted to be— and still as stubborn as ever. In the time leading up to his
death, Ralph proclaimed repeatedly to his family that his beloved Verna was,
“coming to get him.” His family can only hope that this proved to be true and
the two soulmates are reunited in another dimension of life.

A Visitation will be held at the R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Home, 31551 Ford Road, Monday, October 28, 2024 from 12:00 - 8:00 PM with a Funeral  Service at 7:00 PM.

Please sign a memory of Ralph in his guestbook.