Jocelyn Ann Gilbert

Jocelyn Gilbert, age 88 of Newport Beach, California passed away on Saturday, February 1, 2020. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Pacific View Mortuary and Memorial Park on Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 2:00pm with a Graveside Service to follow. In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to either The Assistance League of Newport-Mesa, Hoag Hospital Foundation or The City of Hope.

We lost our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and cousin on February 1, 2020.

Jocelyn was born on August 6, 1931 in Los Angeles, CA to Sarah Emma Stoneham Muller and Paul Jakob Muller. Jocelyn grew up in Los Angeles with her younger sister Bertha. She attended Dorsey High School, remaining in touch with some of her old classmates. Remarkably, Jocelyn and her closest grade school friend, Sharon, were friends for nearly 80 years.

Jocelyn met her husband-to-be Roger Whitney Gilbert at the University of California Berkeley at a Fraternity/Sorority mixer when they were freshmen in September 1949; Jocelyn was a Delta Zeta and Roger a Phi Kappa Tau. They went to Cal together for four years, and were married April 30, 1953 in Sarah and Paul’s church in L.A. Jocelyn graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a B.A. in History in June 1953. Cal would become an integral part of Roger and Jocelyn’s life and source of great pride as they became active alumni, attending many “Big Games” against Stanford as well as keeping in touch with their former sorority and fraternity sisters and brothers and other classmates.

Upon graduation, Jocelyn went with Roger to live in Fort Sill, Oklahoma as Roger had reported to active duty there. Jocelyn gave birth in Oklahoma to first child Michael Whitney on June 6, 1954. After leaving the Army, they moved back to California with Roger starting his insurance career at Great American Insurance Company. Their second son Bradley Paul came along on October 30, 1956 and daughter Cynthia Ann joined the family on March 31, 1961.

Jocelyn, Roger and the three kids grew up as a family enjoying years of Little League, PTA, Scouts, church activities and memorable family vacations and outings, with those early family years spent driving across the country in a station wagon, visiting state parks or taking trips to Atherton to see Roger’s parents. Jocelyn and Roger would host large family gatherings at their home in Hawthorne for holidays. Jocelyn had a talent for keeping in touch with extended family members on both sides of the family. Additionally, Jocelyn found time to return to school to obtain her teaching credential, attending USC and Cal State Northridge, and taught in special education classrooms while the family lived in Woodland Hills, CA.

Roger’s career took the family to New Jersey, back to California and later to Ohio with Cynthia after Brad and Mike had gone on to college. Roger’s brother Clark and his wife Carol also lived in Ohio during that period with their two daughters Carol and Shelly, and the two families shared many an activity together. Jocelyn was also very involved with her Cincinnati neighbors and became longtime close friends with many. She volunteered at the U.C. Medical Center during her time in Ohio.

In 1985, Jocelyn and Roger moved to Newport Beach where they settled. Both became active in community and philanthropic groups, with Jocelyn joining the Assistance League of Newport Mesa, holding leadership positions in the auxiliary Las Reinas and volunteering at the Consignment and Thrift Shops. After Roger retired, they traveled together or with the larger family and continued to be engaged in philanthropy in the area. Some of the organizations Jocelyn was involved with were Newport Harbor Panhellenic and the local Col. William Cabell chapter of the DAR.

One cannot talk about Jocelyn without sharing about her children, of whom she was proud and would often brag to others about. Michael, Bradley and Cynthia have been successful in their scholastic and professional endeavors and all became happily married. Michael found Susan at UCLA, Bradley met Carla at UC San Diego Medical School and Cynthia met Jesse at the UCLA School of Social Work. After marriage, they gave Roger and Jocelyn seven amazing grandchildren: Megan and Kevin for Mike and Sue; Brendan, Lauren and Brian for Brad and Carla; and Christopher and Jordan for Cynthia and Jesse. Brendan married Azadeh and they are parents to Jocelyn’s great-grandchildren Ardin and Roham and Megan married Daniel and they had great-grandchild Asher. Jocelyn and Roger were able to enjoy many years of grandparenting; Jocelyn was also able to spend time with her three great-grandchildren.

Sadly, Roger passed away in 2013, leaving Jocelyn without her life partner – he was both her anchor and her rudder. Jocelyn struggled with her new life alone, having also lost her sister Bertha, but continued as long as she was able to remain in contact with friends, family and her beloved organizations such as Las Reinas. She adopted a dog, Rainey, whom she loved and who loved her. Despite her limitations in these final years, she still cared about the many friends she had made over all the years of her life and never forgot about them. Her children ensured that she could enjoy family gatherings by hosting many such events at her Newport Beach home, the last one being that for her 88th birthday, where she was surrounded by many of her grandchildren and all of her great-grandchildren.

Jocelyn was a complicated woman who loved her husband and her family in her own unique way. She had a memory marked by detail that put most of us to shame. Her life was difficult at the end but she never lost her feistiness, which we all know is a euphemism. But that is okay, because that was Jocelyn, that was Mom, and she was who she was. She would end her crazy, stream-of-consciousness Christmas newsletters with “Toodles for now!” And so we all say Toodles back, may you be united with Roger, looking down upon us. Much love, your family.

Donations in lieu of flowers preferred to the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa, City of Hope and Hoag Hospital Foundation.