Greg Gilbert

He is survived by his wife, Kathy; sons, Erich and Stefan; brother, Bill (wife, Linda); numerous nieces, nephew, and a granddaughter.

Greg was a one-of-a-kind man. His greatest desire was to follow what his mother had taught him, which was to be true to his Catholic upbringing. He did this by loving his family and friends and faithfully attending church until he was too weak to do so.

He loved to take photographs of people, animals, and scenery. He was a very regular walker in Washington Park with his succession of huskies, first Loki and later Rudi. He loved walking the dogs, meeting people and giving treats to the other pets they encountered. In the last seven years, he and Rudi developed a new routine in the park. They would stop at the popular ice cream and gelato stand Park-N-Chill to get an ice cream treat for Rudi.

Greg proudly passed out thousands of photos of his dogs to people he encountered. He would never go anywhere without his photos in his cargo pants pocket. Over time, he couldn’t go anywhere without people stopping him and asking if he had any new pictures. Today, those photos are hanging on refrigerators around the world.

For many years, he took photographs for TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) and Koinonia retreats along with numerous other religious groups.

In the last four years, Rudi has had to share his master’s attention, when Greg was blessed with a granddaughter who began to light up his world. She brought so much joy to him while he was quietly suffering through his 13-year battle with cancer. She could always make him smile and make him laugh so hard that he cried.

On his last days on this earth, she came in and sang to her Grampa Greggie. It made him smile, even though he could not talk.

Greg was a man of many talents. He attended Bailey Technical School and became a mechanic. He took apart many a car and could rebuild the engines. His favorites were Renaults, Volkswagens, Mercedes, and Fiats. During his last week of life, he quietly said “Add oil to the diesel.”

Greg loved to travel to Europe and record his travels by taking photographs. His first European trip was for his six-week honeymoon. His wife insists that he only married her so that he could go to Europe. He took thousands of pictures and meticulously organized them. He set up slide shows and could give precise details about each picture. He was able to share his love of European travel with his sons and wife on numerous trips.

Greg was a serious book collector, and when he was well, he would go several times a week to various stores to get the best deals on used books. His motto was, “Never pay full price.” His house is a library full of books on many subjects, especially history.

Greg was a pharmacy technician at St. John's Hospital and worked at Lincoln Developmental Center and Hope School, before he finished his bachelor's and master’s degrees in computer science. Twenty years ago, he retired from the State of Illinois as an internal auditor. He continued to hobby build computers until he was unable to do so.

His beloved family and friends will greatly miss his kind, gentle manner, his words of wisdom, and especially his puns and jokes. They are all grateful that he was part of their lives.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on October 31, 2023, at Christ the King Church, 1930 Barberry Drive, Springfield, IL, with celebrants Father Christopher House and Father Jeff Grant. After the burial at Roselawn Cemetery, a light luncheon will be served at Christ the King Parish Hall. Friends who cannot attend the funeral are invited to the reception at the Polly Roesch Christ the King Parish Hall.

A Celebration of Life will be held on November 4, 2023, from 1:00 until 4:00 p.m. at Park-N-Chill. This is located on the North side of Washington Park. Bring your dog to the celebration for a dog treat and, if you wish, bring a pet toy or pet food to donate to Animal Protective League.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to WILD Canine Rescue, 3309 Robbins Road, # 109, Springfield, IL 62704.

The family is being served by Butler Funeral Home- Springfield, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield.