George Thomas Gilbert

1945 - 2025

George Thomas Gilbert

August 27, 1945 - May 30, 2025

George Thomas Gilbert, Jr. (G.T.), 79 years old of Troy, VA, passed away on Friday May 30th. George was born in Charlottesville, VA, on August 27, 1945, to George Thomas, Sr. and Ealie Gilbert. He was predeceased by his sister, Frances Jones of Gordonsville and Troy; and his younger brother, Roger Shane Gilbert of Fluvanna County, VA. George is survived by his brother, Harry Gilbert; sister-in-law, Wanda Gilbert; daughter, Reesa Moore of Courtland, VA; stepdaughters, Donna Swift of Allentown, NJ and Debby Preiss of Corpus Christi, TX. Along with grandchildren, Thomas Kane of Illinois, Caroline Ronsky of Houston, TX, Virginia Preiss of Portland, OR, Maddy Swift of Boulder, CO and Cailynn Moore of Virginia. He has three great-grandchildren as well: Tyler, Emery and Raiden Kane all of Illinois. George is also survived by two nephews, Shane Gilbert of Oxford, FL and Timothy Gilbert of Troy, VA; and countless other nieces and nephews from his second marriage. G.T. is also survived by his girlfriend, Anne Blakely of Buckingham, VA; and her son, G.T.'s 'adopted' son, Joe Blakely.

G.T. lived and grew up in Troy, VA, where he attended Fluvanna County High School. Upon graduation, he began work for the State of Virginia. He married Elizabeth Herndon and had his daughter, Reesa, soon thereafter. G.T. was an active member of both the Scottsville Volunteer Fire Department and the Scottsville Volunteer Rescue Squad. He was active in the rescue of people stranded on the James River during the historic flood during Hurricane Agnes in 1972 during which he was severely injured himself. He remained in the job with the State of Virginia until he moved to Millstone Twp., NJ in the mid 1970s with his second wife, Madelyn Palmer Emery, and her two daughters.

In New Jersey, he began work with the Valcor Company as a valve engineer, a job he held until his retirement in 2011 . He was a very active member of the United Presbyterian Church of Millstone, acting as elder and Sunday School teacher, and with the Millstone Township Fire Company. His association with the fire department was long and illustrious. He was Chief for some years and was a long term Commissioner and a lifetime member of the department. George attended numerous FireFighter conventions in Wildwood, NJ.

George loved to "people watch" and could often be found sitting inside his open garage with a Coors Light in hand just watching the traffic go by. He loved to party and would often be the last person to leave any family gathering or social event. His legacy will for sure live on in the many people he touched through the years with his generosity and loving spirit. May he rest in peace.

Services will be held at Higgins Funeral Home in Freehold, NJ on Friday, June 6th, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 for visitation. There will be a Firefighters Funeral on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Higgins. There will be a church and graveside service on Saturday, June 7th, at the United Presbyterian Church of Millstone at 11 a.m. Repast to follow.