Barbara Jean Gilbert

Barbara Jean was born October 28, 1943 to Charles and Wilma (Wheeler) Bilsborough in Elgin, Illinois. She was the oldest of the 3 girls. She grew up in a very small town called Yates City, in a very small house. She often told stories about having to use the outhouse in the backyard. She liked to read and play the piano. She was very good at baseball and the boys would fight over whose team she played on. When she was a junior in high school, her dad sold his gas station business and the family moved to Coon Rapids, MN. She was very sad to leave her friends, family, and piano to move someplace she had never heard of. The good thing about the move, their new house had an indoor bathroom. She attended Anoka High School her last 2 years of school. She was on the girls basket ball team. Her Senior year the team won the state finals. She loved to sing and sang in the choir in Yates City. The Anoka choir teacher was not very nice and told her she was not allowed to sing in the choir because she sounded like a sick cow. She never sang in choir again. Growing up she worked in a nursing home, where she decided she wanted to become a nurse and help people. When she graduated from high school she went on to study nursing at Minneapolis Vocational School. Barb met Duane Gilbert and Don Ogilvie at Swedish Hospital. Duane was a surgery orderly and she was the surgery secretary. Don tried to "set Barb and Duane up" to date. Barb told Don she wouldn't date Duane if he were the last man on earth. A few months later they started dating. Their first date was dinner and Thursday night prayer meeting at Fourth Baptist. The first person she met was Erma Jacox. They were engaged 6 months later, but had to wait until Barb graduated in April from nursing school to get married. They were married two weeks later, May 1, 1965. After graduation, she went to work at North Memorial Hospital. The first person she met there was Joyce Fosland. Barb helped Duane with the youth ministry of Fourth Baptist on weekends. She was very active in Mrs Clearwaters Seminettes Program - preparing wives to work along side their pastor husbands. She kept working as a nurse until December 1, 1966 when Jeanine was born. In April 1967, they packed up their little family and moved to Watertown, Wisconsin were Duane became the Youth Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church. When a family at the church found out that Barb played the piano, they gave her theirs. (She still has it). Barb kept busy teaching 1st-3rd grade Sunday School and helping with youth activities. Eileen was born May 24, 1969. They moved back to Minneapolis in November of 1969. Duane became the assistant youth pastor at Fourth and Barb worked right along side him. She would go out to Camp Clearwaters and be the camp nurse. When the girls were little, Barb would sit and play the piano for hours. Her favorite songs were "Moon River", "Blue Danube Waltz", and of course the girls always requested "How Much is that Doggy in the Window". She would sit in the recliner and rock a bye. Her songs to sing were "Jesus Loves me", "This Little Light of Mine", "In the Garden", and "The Old Rugged Cross." She sang beautifully!! As Fourth Baptist was growing, they added on the high school. Then they needed a school nurse. Jeanine had just started kindergarten, so with Eileen tagging along, Barb started working at the school. She made sure student immunization records were up to date. She started the in-school screening tests for vision, hearing, and scoliosis. Dr Mawdsley decided the teachers should have a break at lunch time, so Barb became the "Gym Lady" supervising free playtime after lunch. Four years later, the school had so many students that Jan Rector, the librarian, needed help. Barb became the assistant librarian for a few hours in the afternoon. Central Seminary was also rapidly growing. Barb started working part time for them cranking out all the newsletters and mailings on the mimeograph machine every quarter. With 2 daughters and all her school responsibilities, she didn't help out with the youth group very much but she did continue to teach the class every year on first aid and babysitting. She taught 1st grade Sunday School for 21 years and was in charge of the prayer meeting group for the 4th - 6th grade girls. She was very involved with the Naomi-Ruth Guild and the Mother -Daughter Banquets. When the church decided to open a library on Sundays. She became the co-librarian and bought all the books. When Jeanine was in 6th grade, Barb went back to nursing full time. She worked in a clinic with only one doctor and she was the only nurse. She did everything needed. She worked there for 13 years until the doctor retired. She then put her nursing skills to a different use and became the secretary and surgery scheduler for a clinic of 6 eye doctors. She worked there for 25 years. When the girls were little she learned to sew, knit, and crochet. She put those skills to good use. She made almost all of their clothes. Every doll they got for Christmas came with a complete wardrobe and their Barbies were the best dressed in town. She loved to be a Gramma. She would stand on the footstool with Charles and go surfing. She went to Charles' baseball games and school plays. She bought twirly dresses and went to Cara's soccer tournaments. With 3 ballerina's in the family, she spent hours at dance recitals. She was always looking forward to "Gramma Time". Her failing body did not allow her to hold her 3 Great Grandkids. She would get the biggest smile as they laid on her lap and she could touch them and hold their little hands and help feed them a bottle. Barb is survived by her daughters, Jeanine Gilbert and Eileen Law; grandchildren, Charles (Anna) Law, Cara (Ben) Borchardt, Shae Law and Skye Law; great-grandson, Isaac Law; honorary granddaughter, Nicole Webinger; and honorary great-grandchildren, Emerson and Maya; sister, Pamela (Thomas) McMaster; brother-in-law, LeRoy (Darlene) Gilbert; sisters-in-law, Grace Goodman and Carolyn (Neil) Miller; and many nieces and nephews. Barb was welcomed to Heaven by her husband of 58 years, Duane; parents, Charles and Wilma Bilsborough; parents-in-law, Lester and Mable Gilbert; brother, Keith Cable; sister, Rosemary Doggett; sister-in-law, Joyce Meinders; brother-in-law, Evangelist David Goodman SR; and nephew, Robert Webinger Jr. Funeral service will be held on Monday, November 13 at 11 AM at Fourth Baptist Church, 900 Forestview Lane, Plymouth. Visitation one hour prior. Interment will take place at Glen Haven Memorial Gardens in Crystal, MN. For those who are unable to attend in person, a livestream of the service will be accessible at: fourthbaptist.org/live

Tributes

Barbara Jean Gilbert

October 28, 1943 - November 4, 2023

Tributes

Barbara Jean Gilbert

October 28, 1943 - November 4, 2023

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