Gilbert loved our Mother. From the first time he saw her, he set out to win her and to mend her broken heart. He gave her back laughter and trust and security. And he gave us back our happy Mom.
He delighted in delighting her.
Underneath his masculine and sometimes gruff exterior beat the heart of a true romantic. He loved to bring Mom gifts and surprises. He started out with anonymous flowers and valentines sneaked into her car and mailbox. He would come home with tickets to a concert or Hawaii, all on short notice. She loved clocks, so he filled their home with clocks. When the hour would strike, clocks would bong and cuckoo everywhere! Once he gave her a brand new house for a surprise.
Best of all he gave Mom his whole heart.
When he was too old to drive and get a gift for Mom on his own he conspired with Jessica to go around the neighborhood and gather lilacs and other flowers for her .
He loved fast cars like trans ams and gto's and on any given Saturday he might bring home a new one home to surprise Mom. When his boys were growing up he helped them put Chrysler engines in the back seat of Volkswagons to race. When Adam and Jed were growing he would be over in their garage after school everyday as they built cars. He called them "his boys" "My boys would like to order now he would say."
As I looked through our family photo albums I was surprised to see how much he was there and how many places and things we did that we would not even have discovered without him. He took our family to Yellowstone in his camper van. Then he sold us the van and got another one and we went to Yosemite and El Capitain State beach near Santa Barbara and Solvang, the Grapevine and the goldmining towns, like Nevada City, Grand Island and the Tetons and Stuart Falls at Sundance.
Every year we went to Disneyland and Knottsberry farm. The first time he took us through both parks in one day and back to San Diego before bed! As soon as he got you somewhere, he wanted to go again. Knottsberry farm was his favorite and he wasn't about to let Disneyland best it. He like the old goldmining town atmosphere there. Somewhere in his seventies he began to sit more on what we called Gil's $30.00 bench in the park on Disneyland Main Street. That was the price of admission then and he would spend the afternoon and early evening there coordinating my older teenage children so they could come and go on their own. They loved it!
He gave us gifts too. He sent me a dozen red roses in the hospital when I had Amy. One year he greeted Randall and I with tickets to "On a Clear Day" with Robert Goulet . He took us to dinner at Lawrence Welk's place in the hills above San Diego. He's the only man who ever told me I was doing a good job with my driving. I would love him just for that. He sent "Writer's Digest" to me one year because he knew I wanted to write.
Gil mentored and supported Mom's school teaching career. He shared her passion and talent for teaching children. Yesterday she ordered one more flower wreath in a heart shape that will say simply "Mr. Nihart." She said that is how she knew him first. She told me that as the newest teacher, she got all the "bad eggs." And when they were too disruptive she was to send them down to Mr. Nihart, the Principal. She told me that when Gil retired after thirty years of teaching' the town of Ramona had "Mr. Nihart Days" for three days with a banner across the street. The kids made paper ties to wear, because he always wore a white shirt and tie.
Gil and Mom loved to set out on adventures together. They would go up the coast to the Madonna Inn for dinner and a night away or they might go all the way to the Big Sur or up to Julian in the hills above San Diego for dinner or Trolley Junction in the Sierra Nevadas. He got Mom to all the baby blessing, baptisms and weddings in Utah.
Because we were hers he became involved in our lives.
Just a few days ago she said "Gil if you will open your mouth and eat a little, where would you like to go? Why don't we go up Highway 6 to Bishop and the Whiskey Creek Inn for dinner? And after dinner we will go to the world famous Shepard's Bakery and get some of those pastries and milk to take up to our room at the hotel and eat in bed." He said he would like that and took a few more sips of liquid.
Last summer we were all impressed when Elizabeth and Daniel his grandchildren gave him a flight for his birthday. At the airport while we stood around to discuss how to get this feeble man up over the wing and into the cockpit, he seemed to throw away his cane and hop up into the pilot's seat and put the headset on.
When he came down he appeared to be a much younger version of the man who went up. He saluted us and said "Praise the Lord". Then his eyes filled with tears at the sheer joy of it. After that he looked for Mother.
Gilbert tomorrow we salute you.
Underneath his masculine and sometimes gruff exterior beat the heart of a true romantic. He loved to bring Mom gifts and surprises. He started out with anonymous flowers and valentines sneaked into her car and mailbox. He would come home with tickets to a concert or Hawaii, all on short notice. She loved clocks, so he filled their home with clocks. When the hour would strike, clocks would bong and cuckoo everywhere! Once he gave her a brand new house for a surprise.
Best of all he gave Mom his whole heart.
When he was too old to drive and get a gift for Mom on his own he conspired with Jessica to go around the neighborhood and gather lilacs and other flowers for her .
He loved fast cars like trans ams and gto's and on any given Saturday he might bring home a new one home to surprise Mom. When his boys were growing up he helped them put Chrysler engines in the back seat of Volkswagons to race. When Adam and Jed were growing he would be over in their garage after school everyday as they built cars. He called them "his boys" "My boys would like to order now he would say."
As I looked through our family photo albums I was surprised to see how much he was there and how many places and things we did that we would not even have discovered without him. He took our family to Yellowstone in his camper van. Then he sold us the van and got another one and we went to Yosemite and El Capitain State beach near Santa Barbara and Solvang, the Grapevine and the goldmining towns, like Nevada City, Grand Island and the Tetons and Stuart Falls at Sundance.
Every year we went to Disneyland and Knottsberry farm. The first time he took us through both parks in one day and back to San Diego before bed! As soon as he got you somewhere, he wanted to go again. Knottsberry farm was his favorite and he wasn't about to let Disneyland best it. He like the old goldmining town atmosphere there. Somewhere in his seventies he began to sit more on what we called Gil's $30.00 bench in the park on Disneyland Main Street. That was the price of admission then and he would spend the afternoon and early evening there coordinating my older teenage children so they could come and go on their own. They loved it!He gave us gifts too. He sent me a dozen red roses in the hospital when I had Amy. One year he greeted Randall and I with tickets to "On a Clear Day" with Robert Goulet . He took us to dinner at Lawrence Welk's place in the hills above San Diego. He's the only man who ever told me I was doing a good job with my driving. I would love him just for that. He sent "Writer's Digest" to me one year because he knew I wanted to write.
Gil mentored and supported Mom's school teaching career. He shared her passion and talent for teaching children. Yesterday she ordered one more flower wreath in a heart shape that will say simply "Mr. Nihart." She said that is how she knew him first. She told me that as the newest teacher, she got all the "bad eggs." And when they were too disruptive she was to send them down to Mr. Nihart, the Principal. She told me that when Gil retired after thirty years of teaching' the town of Ramona had "Mr. Nihart Days" for three days with a banner across the street. The kids made paper ties to wear, because he always wore a white shirt and tie.
Gil and Mom loved to set out on adventures together. They would go up the coast to the Madonna Inn for dinner and a night away or they might go all the way to the Big Sur or up to Julian in the hills above San Diego for dinner or Trolley Junction in the Sierra Nevadas. He got Mom to all the baby blessing, baptisms and weddings in Utah.Because we were hers he became involved in our lives.
Just a few days ago she said "Gil if you will open your mouth and eat a little, where would you like to go? Why don't we go up Highway 6 to Bishop and the Whiskey Creek Inn for dinner? And after dinner we will go to the world famous Shepard's Bakery and get some of those pastries and milk to take up to our room at the hotel and eat in bed." He said he would like that and took a few more sips of liquid.
Last summer we were all impressed when Elizabeth and Daniel his grandchildren gave him a flight for his birthday. At the airport while we stood around to discuss how to get this feeble man up over the wing and into the cockpit, he seemed to throw away his cane and hop up into the pilot's seat and put the headset on.
When he came down he appeared to be a much younger version of the man who went up. He saluted us and said "Praise the Lord". Then his eyes filled with tears at the sheer joy of it. After that he looked for Mother.
Gilbert tomorrow we salute you.
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