Gerald David Kilpatrick

Gerald was born on March 21, 1932 in Gastonia, North Carolina to that late Paul Henry Kilpatrick and the late Zenious Reep. In addition to his parents, he is also preceded in death by his sisters, Maxine Kilpatrick Gantt, Shirley Rhinehart and Joyce Arnold; stepbrother, Larry Coleman; and half-brother, Lamar Daye.

Gerald was born in Gastonia, NC and later moved to Hayesville, NC with his dad, Paul, where he helped him build a house on Kilpatrick’s Point. He entered the U.S. Army at the age of 16 years old where he was stationed in Alaska for 1 year before entering the Korean War. He was a proud heavy equipment and crane operator engineer and was listed as a Sargent First Class. During his 6 years in service, he received a National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal and a United Nations Medal. Following his Korean Tour, he was honorably discharged from the military and moved to FL with his wife and daughter, Paula. While living in FL, Gerald got a job with a private contractor with NASA lifting rocket engines and capsules at Cape Canaveral. After his contract ended, he was unable to find work and then decided to move back to Gastonia with his family. He worked for West Vaco in Gastonia for 33 years and was a lifetime member of the United Paper Workers International Union. In Gerald’s free time, he enjoyed going to NASCAR races and traveling. Gerald was a truly kind and generous man. He will be missed by all that had the pleasure of knowing him, especially his nephew, David, who had the pleasure and honor of taking care of him for many years.

He is survived by his nephew and longtime caregiver, David Keith Gantt; son, Dean Lee Kilpatrick; daughter, Paula Kilpatrick Wynn; and grandchild, Troy M. Kilpatrick.

David would like to mention a special thank you to Hospice of Gaston County.

Contributions in Gerald's memory may be made to Wounded Warriors Project , https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/Default.aspx?tsid=11585&ovr_acv_id=20209&campaignSource=ONLINE&source=BS24030BAABREMA&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlsy5BhDeARIsABRc6ZvihGFGd-972-jzDkZXhqwiJbcOG2ml_kl8qz8FCBihxFdYmC9A88saAup5EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds.