Stephen Cary “Steve” Gilbert, 81, North Manchester, Indiana, met his wife at heaven’s gates on October 7, 2022. The son of Stephen R. and Gladys Charlene (Myers) Gilbert, Steve was born on November 21, 1940, in Charleston, West Virginia.
After graduating from Urbana High School in 1960, Steve began working as a tool and die maker. He then took a three-year break from manufacturing and became a full-time farmer from 1975 to 1978 before working for General Motors for fourteen years and then Zimmer for fourteen more. Steve eventually retired in 2002. He did anything to make a living for his family, including carpentry work and other odds and ends jobs. When he wasn’t working, Steve enjoyed being a member of the Masonic Lodge for twenty-one years, Lions Club for ten years and Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson for over twenty-five years. He had a deep passion for trains, which was evident in his model railroad collection and nearly 300 square-foot basement layout of trains and scenery that he created by hand.
On November 19, 1960, Steve married the love of his life, Sharon K. Tyner. The two were wed for sixty years before Sharon passed away on September 8, 2021. For a time, Steve and Sharon owned S&S Family Restaurant in North Manchester. Worshipping the Lord was paramount in their life together, and they were members of Urbana United Methodist Church. They also loved traveling around the United States by bus.
The loving memory of Stephen Gilbert will be forever cherished by his daughters, Gayle Lynn (Kurt) Goshorn, Churubusco and Deborah Sue (Jerry Hackworth) Gilbert, Mentone; sisters, Jeanne Poppink, Holland, Michigan, Amy Gilbert, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Gay (Buddy Jr.) Gilbert Wolfe, Washington D.C.; three grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Marilyn Hall. Steve was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Sharon Gilbert; brothers, Dennis Hall and Darl Hall; sister-in-law, Margrett Hall.
Graveside services will be held Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery, County Road 300 East and County Road 1000 North, North Manchester, Indiana.
For those who wish to honor the memory of Stephen Gilbert, memorial contributions may be made to Urbana Yoke Parish, 75 East Half Street, Urbana, Indiana 46990.
The family of Stephen C. Gilbert has entrusted McKee Mortuary with care and final arrangements.