Frederick Peek Gilbert

1937 - 2020

Frederick Peek Gilbert

On the one hand, Frederick Peek Gilbert, 83, spent his last hours sleeping peacefully in the company of his wife of 37 years, Cindy. Their two children, Gareth (35) and Amber Gilbert Jackman (33) joined Cindy throughout the preceding week in his hospital room sitting a constant vigil in shifts with Fred. On the other hand, Fred died in the same way that he spent most of his life with an outright refusal to do anything the easy way and a smattering of vulgarity. After surviving Covid-19 Fred declined all medical treatment and sought his final respite. Despite the difficulty, Fred persisted in telling his family that he loved them until his dying day. It was a tremendous demonstration of his priorities, both terrible and amazing to behold.

Born in Tulsa during November 1937, Fred was the only child of Rene and Marguerite Gilbert. He graduated high school in 1955, as a boarding student, from St. Alban's in Washington, DC. He went on to Harvard with a Latin scholarship to major in Physics because it was his weakest subject. Fred graduated from Harvard in 1959 with a Bachelor's in Physics, a minor in Classics, and, astonishingly, a single Chemistry Lab credit short of a degree in Electrical Engineering. Following in his fathers footsteps, he entered Harvard Law. He graduated with his LLB in 1965 after also completing a three year enlistment in the U.S. Army and returned to Tulsa to practice law.

Fred loved the Army and retired after thirty years in the reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel, an Airborne Ranger, and member of the Special Forces. His legal work is no less distinguished over his fifty years of practice with several criminal appeal cases reaching the 10th Circuit. His most notable case, Craig v. Boren, took him to The Supreme Court and its decision created The Intermediate Scrutiny Test to address age-sex discrimination under the 14th amendment.

First meeting on a blind date, Fred and Cindy married in 1983. Two years later Fred, at the age of 48, became a father with the birth of his son, Gareth, and again a year and half later, when his daughter, Amber, was born. From "Three Naughty, Little Kitten" bedtime stories of his own devising to facilitating education and travel around the world, Fred doted on his children.

A true gentleman, Fred lived his life choosing to be a wonderful father, a loving husband, a beloved friend, a true scholar, a distinguished soldier, and a talented attorney. His death leaves a hole in many hearts and he will be sorely missed. A lifelong Episcopalian, Fred helped found Holy Spirit Anglican Church where he will have a niche in the columbarium currently under construction. The family will have an immediate family service with the intent to have a public celebration, when Covid-19 concerns lessen sufficiently. Realistically, it will be a few months at least before such an event occurs. In lieu of flowers, Fred felt a particular soft spot for TheInnocenceProject.org Please consider donating.

Please email FPG.celebration@gmail.com to receive announcements about a future celebration.