Thomas Kurt Gerbe

Dr. Thomas Kurt Gerbe passed away after a brief battle with cancer on Saturday, July 27th, less than a month shy of his 75th birthday. Tom was born to Gloria (von Preysing) and William Gerbe in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the town of Merrick on Long Island, where he had an idyllic suburban childhood with his older brother Ron (78) and lifelong friends from his school and neighborhood. He matriculated to Duke University in 1967, becoming a lifelong fan of all things Duke and royal blue. However, he would claim his real education began with his best friends in the mud of the Woodstock music festival in 1969, and he always kept his tickets framed in his office as a reminder.

Dr. Gerbe's love for his country was passed down from his father, an ace P-51 Mustang pilot in Europe during WWII, and upon graduating from Duke he attended Officer Candidate School to serve as a Naval Officer on the USS Laffey during the Vietnam War. He would often joke that he had "strategic deployments" where he ranged as far as Bar Harbor to escort Miss Maine in their Fourth of July parade. One thing about his time on the Laffey is sure: no enemy dared approach the eastern seaboard so long as they patrolled the Atlantic.

After his honorable discharge, Dr. Gerbe returned to North Carolina and gained his Masters from UNC. After a number of years as a youth guidance counselor in Hillsborough, NC, Tom returned to his beloved Duke to gain his PhD in Psychology. Tom and his then-wife, Amy Meller, moved to Houlton, Maine to begin practicing psychology. After a few very cold years in Moose country, Tom and Amy moved to Martha's Vineyard where he started his almost 40 years of private practice. There, they had two sons, Evan (38) and Kyle (35). It is a testament to the love Tom had for his work and clientele that he kept working 2-3 days a week at his Vineyard psychology practice for 7 additional years after moving to Sudbury, MA, in 1993. He continued to work at his Sudbury practice at 323 Boston Post Road until his health made it impossible just before his passing.

In his later years, Dr. Gerbe moved to his dream house in Ipswich with his partner Patricia Bodenstab, and together they enjoyed traveling with the Duke alumni association, playing tennis, boating, and watching their children and grandchildren grow up. Tom would sometimes worry about the lasting impact his life would have, but the outpouring of love from his family, friends, clients, and acquaintances is a testament to the many lives he changed for the better through his work and love. He was a man who practiced the care, understanding, and empathy that he preached, often repeating the phrase his parents raised him with, "God is Love."

The family will be hosting a visitation at Duckett Funeral Home in Sudbury from 4-7 pm on Thursday, August 22nd, and a memorial at Sudbury United Methodist Church at 11:30 am on Friday, August 23rd, with refreshments to follow. As the family wishes to maintain the same light and joy that Dr. Gerbe exuded his entire life, they request festive and/or floral attire for services, and in lieu of flowers, for donations to be made to the Disabled American Veterans foundation (DAV), which supports homeless and disabled veterans.