Ralph Milton Gilbert Sr.

Ralph M. Gilbert., Sr., Sarasota, FL passed away at the age of 89 on June 2, 2026. He was born April 2, 1937, in North Carolina, to Mike and Bessie Gilbert. After graduating from Appalachian State in Boone, NC with a B.A. in Education, he spent 4 years teaching junior high school in Charlotte, NC. He then began a 32-year career with Union Oil Company of California in sales and marketing management for the southwest and Midwest, retiring in 1994.

Ralph M. Gilbert., Sr., Sarasota, FL passed away at the age of 89 on June 2, 2026. He was born April 2, 1937, in Lincolnton, NC, to Mike and Bessie Gilbert. After graduating from Appalachian State in Boone, NC with a B.A. in Education, he spent 4 years teaching junior high school in Charlotte, NC. He then began a 32-year career with Union Oil Company of California in sales and marketing management for the southwest and Midwest, retiring in 1994.

In 1998 he and his wife Jan moved from Dundee IL to Stoneybrook Golf and Country Club in Sarasota, Florida where he enjoyed playing golf year-round and gardening. He was active in his homeowners’ association there. He made two holes-in-one and was able to achieve his goal of playing golf in all 50 states, as well as in Canada and Spain.

He was a member of Church of the Palms, serving on the Memorial Garden Board and packing food in the church Food Pantry.

Ralph and Jan moved to Bay Village in 2021, and Ralph moved to the Tides at Bay Village in 2023.The kind and loving care provided by the staff at the Tides is greatly appreciated.

Ralph was preceded in death by his first wife Nancy (Dixon) deceased in 1990, his parents, Mike and Bessie Gilbert; his sisters, Helen Davis, Linda Boes, and Mary Hoyle; and his brothers, Stowe and James.

He is survived by his wife of 32 years Janice (Clark); his sons, Ralph, Jr. and Michael “Randy'; his grandsons, Mitchell and Nicholas, his sisters Jean Ritchie and Judy Gilbert, and several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:30 pm on July 10, 2026, at Church of The Palms - Palms Center, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34239.

Those planning to attend are asked to verify at [email protected] by July 3.