John Gilbert

The Reverend Dr. John Gilbert, parish minister, gardener, storyteller, and lover of poetry, died on 28 June 2016 at the age of 84.

Friends and colleagues remember John for his love of words, books, cooking, and for growing vegetables (garlic, tomatoes, potatoes) and flowers (hollyhocks, sunflowers amaryllis). He was a war objector, conscientious (Korea) and otherwise. Other enthusiasms included calligraphy, drawing, origami, string figures, computer correspondences, drawing, word puzzles, trekking, pole-walking, biking, and baking bread.

John Stout Gilbert was born on 10 December 1931 to John Wendell Gilbert and Lula Mae Gilbert on a small family farm in Russiaville, Indiana. From Quaker beginnings, John found the Unitarian church in the late 1950s when he and spouse Nancy sought religious community for their young family. He became an active lay leader, earned a B.S. at UWisc-Milwaukee (WI), worked as a teacher and employment counselor, and eventually answered a call to ministry, completing work for a D.Min. from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 1977.

Mr. Gilbert was ordained in 1976 by the Unitarian Church West of Brookfield (WI) and was settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for ten years. A series of shorter ministries took him to Toronto (Ontario), Charlotte (NC), and the First UU Church of Rochester (MN), where he was elected Minister Emeritus upon his departure in 1992. Afterward he continued parish service with the UU Church of Meadville (PA) from 1992 to 1996.

John is survived by siblings Jane Hendrickson, Marge Lake Baurley, and Joe   Gilbert, children Victoria, Bart, and Sarah, and four grandchildren.

Memorial donations are encouraged to Friends of the Library, Multnomah   County, 919 SW Taylor Street, Suite 220, Portland, OR 97205, or via the following link:   www.friends-library.org/donate/#!form/Donate.

Notes of condolences may be sent to his daughter, Victoria Gilbert,   2832 SE Salmon St., Portland, OR 97214.