Virginia "Ginny" Gilbert

Virginia "Ginny" Mae (Bartholomew) Gilbert of Loveland, Colorado passed away on March 3 at the age of 85. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Nicholas Gilbert, in 2021. She is survived by daughters Kathleen Banister and Karyn Jensen, sons Glenn Gilbert (Kelly)and Dwight Gilbert (Patty), and grandchildren Myles, Sabrina, Ryan, Rachel, Brayden, Megan, Alexa and Andrew, all residents of northern Colorado.

Born in Grand Haven, Michigan in 1937 to Kenneth and Catherine Bartholomew, Ginny and her brothers Lindsay and Rodney grew up in the small western Michigan town of Nunica. She always spoke lovingly of her childhood, picking blueberries with her friends, fishing with her dad or just lazing with her dog, Buster. Even into her final years, she could make the grandkids laugh by reciting the bizarre Dutch-language cheers she learned in school. In 1953, during Ginny's sophomore year at Coopersville High School, the tranquility of her youth was shattered when her big brother Lindsay, a US Air Force pilot, was killed in a plane crash.

In September of 1958, Ginny earned her nursing degree from the Hackley Hospital School of Nursing in Muskegon, Michigan, receiving her first license as a Registered Nurse shortly after. Settling into the challenging career of a hospital floor nurse over the next three years, her life was upended by the entrance of Nick Gilbert, a recently commissioned Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and West Point classmate of her brother Rodney. After a whirlwind courtship over the summer and fall, Ginny and Nick were married in December of 1961.

Just months after their wedding, Ginny and Nick moved to the US Army base in Bad Tölz, Germany, where Nick was stationed for the next three years. In this unfamiliar environment, Ginny gave birth to Kathleen in November of 1962, followed by Karyn about two years later, adjusting to her new role as full-time mother. Upon returning stateside in 1965, the Gilberts spent a brief stint in Fort Benning, Georgia, then ultimately settled in Columbus, Ohio before Nick was shipped out for his first of two tours in Vietnam. Under these difficult circumstances, Ginny continued the difficult work of raising two rambunctious daughters on her own.

Following Nick's return from Vietnam and honorable discharge from the army in 1969, the family made the sometimes-difficult adjustment to civilian life, with Ginny continuing to focus on the care of Kathleen and Karyn until Glenn was born in 1970. Shortly after Glenn's birth, Ginny resumed her career as a nurse, initially working nights at a nursing home, then later at Mount Carmel East Hospital in Columbus. During these already stressful times, Nick suffered a serious and frightening brain tumor. After a successful surgery and convalescence, Nick was able to return to work, and the family was finally able to settle into a quiet suburban life in Reynoldsburg, with Dwight arriving in 1973.

In 1977, the family moved west to Longmont, Colorado, where Ginny worked as a nurse for the next 19 years at Longmont United Hospital. As Nick worked long, often unusual hours as a computer system analyst, Ginny maintained an exhausting schedule of ten hour shifts at the hospital, all the while shuttling four kids to sports practices and music lessons, helping with schoolwork, taking care of the housework, and making sure everyone was fed. Even so, she always seemed able to find the time and energy to keep the kids entertained, playing ball, going on bike rides, and hiking on her days off. In 1985, the family moved to Estes Park, and Ginny added a one-hour commute (each way) to her daily routine. Around that same time, Ginny's parents moved from Michigan to Colorado so that she would be better able to assist them as their health began to fail. Following her father Kenneth's death in 1990, her mother Catherine moved in with the family and was lovingly cared for until her death in 1995.

Ginny retired from Nursing in 1997, finally having a chance to slow down and take some time for herself. She loved to bask in the intense summer sun on their deck in Estes Park, immersing herself in mystery novels. She continued to enjoy watching all kinds of sports on television, especially figure skating and Colorado Rockies baseball. She sewed many beautiful quilts and wall hangings, dabbled in stain glass, completed very detailed cross-stitch artwork, and even took up golf and snowshoeing with friends. In 2006, as mountain life became too onerous, she and Nick moved to Loveland, Colorado, where they spent their remaining years together, with Ginny continuing to participate in quilting bees and bible study, knitting baby caps and booties for newborns at the hospital, and regularly attending water aerobics classes with friends.

Despite the many physical and emotional trials she suffered over the last few years, Ginny never lost her sense of humor, seemingly always ready with an unexpected comment, a wry smile, or a skeptical smirk. She led a truly selfless life, consistently sacrificing her own wants and needs for the happiness of those around her, especially her family. A celebration of Ginny's life will be held in Estes Park, Colorado this summer after the winter snows have melted and the warm, sunny mountain weather that Ginny cherished so much returns. The family wishes to thank all those who have shared their love and support, especially over the last several months.

A graveside funeral service will be held at 11:00am on Monday, July 31st at the Estes Valley Memorial Gardens, 1672 Fish Hatchery Rd, in Estes Park. A reception will be held after the service at The Post, located in the renovated Carriage House at the Stanley Hotel, 333 E Wonderview Ave. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Bristol Hospice Northern Colorado,3770 Puritan Way, Unit E, Frederick, CO 80516.