After a long and full life of 96 years, Jessie Juadine “Dean” Gilbert passed away peacefully in Roswell, Georgia on August 19, 2021. Obituaries have little to do with death and absolutely everything to do with life. If you knew Dean Gilbert, then you know she was a loving mother, a dear friend to many, and always interested in other people’s lives.
Dean was born on November 10, 1924 in Glenwood, Georgia. At age 17 she left Glenwood to join her sister in Atlanta where she later met and married her husband, James Edward Gilbert. Although she resided in Michigan, Virginia, and Saint Simons Island, she returned to the Atlanta area where she always said “It just feels like home”. She lived independently in Roswell for many years where she enjoyed family, friends, bridge, and doting on grandchildren.
Friends were always important and she had many close ones! She never seemed to meet a stranger. She could, and would, strike up a conversation with anyone, and, within minutes, would know many interesting things about them. She always insisted that she didn’t ask for information. “They just told me”, she would say. Truth be told, she probably asked.
Although life became difficult for her in later years, she maintained her sense of humor and extended kindness to those who cared for her. When asked how she was doing, her reply was, “I don’t do a damn thing, but I feel pretty good for 96 years old”. When moved to more assisted living, she insisted she had been “demoted”. However, Dean maintained a vigorous, steadfast and independent will about many things until her passing.
She will be missed by her family and dear friends, but now she can rest and be reunited with her lost loved ones. Dean was preceded in death by her parents, Rosa and Chester White; her sisters, Carolyn Curry and Marian Bramlett; and her husband of 57 years, James Edward Gilbert.
She is survived by her four children: James Brent Gilbert (Patricia)of Omaha, Nebraska; Cynthia Lynn Gilbert of Saint Simons Island, Georgia; Julie Gilbert Whitt (Dennis)of Toccoa, Georgia; Mark Edward Gilbert (Jennifer)of Sylva, North Carolina; six grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews who loved their Aunt Dean, as well as the Hanrahan family who “adopted” Dean as their mother and grandmother locally.
