Ailine Burch Gilbert

Ailine Burch Gilbert Ailine Burch Gilbert died on June 6, 2008 at her home, the house on Forest Trail where she was brought as a bride. Ailine was born in Roganville, Texas on June 26th, 1909. Her father was in the oil and hotel businesses, and she grew up in hotels he managed in Mineral Wells and then in Breckenridge, Texas. She attended Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia then transferred to the University of Texas, graduating with a B.A. in English in 1931. In 1934 she married Austin surgeon, Dr. Joe Thorne Gilbert, whom she met on the Barton Springs hillside. They were founding members of what was then an Episcopal mission church in West Austin, the Church of the Good Shepherd. Ailine was an active member of the Good Shepherd Altar Guild, The Junior League of Austin in which she was involved in the Thrift Shop, children's theatre and children's health issues. She served as President of the Travis County Medical Auxiliary and the Heritage Society of Austin. She was a lifelong supportive alumna of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and opened her home to many young University students, both her children's friends and foreign students who were UT Health Center patients of Dr. Gilbert. Ailine, a beautiful woman who loved beautiful clothes, was known not only for her beauty but also for her gift for turning a phrase, for a sharp tongue and a wit to shock or charm. A great lover of literature as well as an accomplished writer, she won interscholastic honors in high school, and one of her plays was published in a national collection of works by college students. She loved animals and seemed to have no objection to any her children brought home… from chickens, parakeets and goats to guinea pigs, rats, ponies, possums and raccoons to snakes and alligators besides the plethora of cats and dogs, one or two of which were always assigned to curl up with her on the sofa. In subtle ways she encouraged her children to grow, to become independent and adventuresome, to explore the world beyond the boundaries of their Austin and Texas worlds. Somehow she and Joe Thorne gave their offspring large spaces for internal freedom for which each is eternally grateful. For a woman who didn't suffer fools gladly, she was very patient and non-judgmental of those closest to her, particularly of her grandchildren. The family thanks Marcella Davenport for 17 years of love, loyalty, companionship and care and for the assistance of Vanessa Hernandez and her mother Panchita. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Thorne Gilbert and by her parents, Mary Cunningham and Henry Craig Burch, by her brother, Bill Burch, and her sister Christina Burch Jackson. She is survived by her children, Joe Burch Gilbert and his wife Toby, Maline McCalla and her husband, Dudley Davis McCalla, and Linda Prentice and her husband, James Archer Prentice. She is also survived by eight grandchildren and their children: Dudley Davis McCalla, Jr. and daughter Josephine; Joseph Gilbert McCalla; Andrew Harris McCalla, his wife Sarah and children Lydia and Angus; Mary Burch Gilbert Korth, her sons Henry and Oliver Ames and her husband Fritz Allan Korth; Joe Thorne Gilbert II; Alexandra Prentice Saenz, her husband Paul Saenz and children Archer, Carmen, and Robert; Laura Prentice Masters, her husband Joe Masters and children Ruth and Paul; and James Gilbert Prentice, her sister-in-law B.D. Burch, and several nieces and nephews. A graveside service will be held at the Hornsby Bend Cemetery, Monday, June 9, 2008 at 10:00 am. Acting as pall bearers are Dudley, Joe, and Andrew McCalla; Alexandra Prentice Saenz; Mary Burch Gilbert Korth, Joe Gilbert II, Laura Prentice Masters, James G. Prentice. Those wishing to honor her memory are invited to contribute to the Humane Society of Austin, Animal Trustees of Austin, or a charity of one's choice. Obituary and guestbook online at wcfish.com