Duane Miles Gilbert

Our beloved father, Duane Miles Gilbert, passed away peacefully on November 6, 2024 at the age of 93. He was born in Eckley, Colorado on February 1, 1931. Duane met his wife, Frances Juanita Gilbert, in high school and married in 1950. Duane graduated from North and Juanita from West High School. They bonded over their mutual appreciation for family values and continued to share this throughout their long and happy 74 plus years of marriage.

His childhood in Eckley and Denver instilled a lifelong passion for family, sports, and games of any kind. He was a very ambitious, hardworking, and responsible young man. He started building his own house at age 20, brick by brick, and added on to it three times as his family grew. He completed 2 years of college before family life got too busy. He worked for Public Service Company for 37 years, starting as a gas department laborer, then as a draftsman, engineer to gas engineering and to computer information systems. He retired as a manager of distribution engineering and operating systems. He led a team from Public Service, partnering with IBM, to create Geographical Information Systems for utility engineering and mapping. This was accomplished twenty years before Google maps existed. He commuted to Colorado Springs for the last 6 years of his career working at Analytical Surveys before retiring in 1992.

He coached his sons’ youth league basketball and baseball teams. He always found time after work to help his sons pitch baseball in the backyard and play basketball on the official court he built at home. He attended his daughter’s dance recitals and swim meets. He taught her and her son to golf and enjoyed many family golf outings. He was an avid fan for his grandchildren’s school activities and sporting events. He also loved attending Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rockies games. The family remembers him for his quick wit, dry humor and plenty of “Dad” jokes.

Duane and Juanita lived in Heather Gardens for forty years. They were both involved in the local church, golf leagues, and bridge groups. Duane served as an Area Representative and on the Board of Directors for the HOA.

Duane M. Gilbert is survived by his wife Frances Juanita Gilbert, children Steven D. Gilbert, Carol M. Gilbert and Paul L. Gilbert, 6 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. He was preceded in death by his mother Marie Gilbert, father Miles Gilbert, and brother Clair Gilbert.

A celebration of life will be planned in the next few months.