Gilbert Larison

Gilbert Lee Larison, 89, was reunited with his wife and sons when he passed away peacefully at his home on Jan. 17, 2020. The son of John Dudley and Lizzie Larison, Gilbert was born on Feb. 3, 1930, in Georgetown, Kentucky, one of eight children. On Feb. 5, 1949, he married the love of his life, Mary Elam, who preceded him in death, on Jan. 16, 2019. If anyone ever met Gilbert, he was sure to tell them about the first time he met Mary in Lexington. They loved, respected and honored each other for nearly 70 years. Through their years, Gilbert and Mary worshipped at Indian Heights Baptist Church, First Church of God, First Baptist Church and Calvary Baptist Church. Gilbert was scrappy and determined. With only an eighth-grade education, he perfected the craft of making broaches, a high-precision cutting tool used in manufacturing. In the early 1970s, he co-founded Hoosier Spline Broach Corp., one of the few shops of its kind in the country. He and his son Jeffrey ran the business together for many years, fighting hard to see it through the recession. It has outlasted nearly all other broach companies in the country. To put it mildly, Gilbert was strong-willed, and to his dying breath never took no for an answer. But he loved his family ferociously and would have done anything to take care of them. He was feisty, but he was extravagantly generous with his love. He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife; three sons, Jeffrey Len, Larry Douglas and Joel Mark; three sisters, Edith, Lily, Minnie; and two brothers, John and Lewis. He is survived by his daughter-in-law, Donna; his grandchildren, Joel and Meghan, and Drew and Erin; his great-grandchildren, Elianna, Jude and Jack; one sister, Peggy Williams; one brother, Harold Larison; and a host of nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Ascension St. Vincent Hospice, and his caregivers, Sherry, Marissa and Valerie, for all of their loving care. Friends may visit from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday Jan. 21, 2020, at Sunset Memory Garden. A funeral service will immediately follow.