Bruno "Bud" Gilbert

Bruno (Bud) Gilbert passed away in his sleep on Friday, April 1, 2016, after a long and very courageous battle with Parkinson’s.

Bruno Heinz Gilbert (Bud) was born on July 5, 1932 in Detroit Michigan to parents Bruno and Gertrude ( Gruendle) Gilbert—both deceased. With his first wife, Mary, he had 5 living children: Paul, Steve, Ellen (Schaner), Julia (Church) and Neil, and a daughter, Barbara who died at the age of 22 months. Grandchildren are Megan Gilbert and Kevin Murray, Lauren and Erica Church, Mickey and Rusty Schaner and Kyle and Amanda Gilbert.

Bud met (1983) and married (1987) Ruth Ann Zeigler, his faithful and loving wife and now his widow, and has been a loving husband to her and stepfather to Karla (Tom )Chambe and Scott (Heather)Zeigler and grandparent (Buppa) to Vanessa, Austin and Justin Chambe, and to Noah, Gabriel and Clare Zeigler

Bud worked for 37 years as an engineer for Chrysler and General Dynamics. While with Chrysler Space division he helped design the electrical system for the first missile sent into outer space—the Redstone. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University while working for Chrysler in Huntsville, LA.

Bud was drafted into the army during the Korean War and became a sergeant before his honorable discharge at the age of 21.

Bud was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Bloomfield Hills.

Instead of flowers, we would like donations to be given toward the Canterbury on the Lake pastoral care program or St. Paul United Methodist Church in Bloomfield Hills, or to a Parkinson’s Research organization.