Barb Gilkey

Barbro Helena (Carlson) Gilkey November 30, 1961 - June 14, 2024 Barbro (Barb) Gilkey, age 62, passed away peacefully, surrounded by friends and family, after waging a battle with cancer over the last three and a half years. Barb was welcomed into heaven by those who preceded her in death, including her beloved parents, Dean Carlson and Kerstin (Johansson) Carlson. Barb is survived by her husband of 36+ years, Steve Gilkey; children, Grace Gilkey and Gina Gilkey; brothers, Dean (Johan) Carlson and Paul Carlson; and many nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, and friends. Barb grew up in the Minneapolis area where she attended Edina-West High School. She went on to attend the University of Minnesota, where she became active in the Pi Beta Phi sorority, along with joining the college dance and cheerleading squads. Upon graduating with a marketing degree from the university, she honed her creative skills into a successful career in the advertising media field. Barb took great pride in being part of a team that grew Periscope into one of the largest independent advertising agencies in the country. She developed lifelong friendships with both her Periscope colleagues and with clients at Target Corporation, her primary client account. Barb Carlson married Steve Gilkey in 1989 before settling in Plymouth, MN, where they raised their two daughters. Barb had the magic touch to make every event memorable and meaningful. Whether it was her daughters' birthday parties or her legendary Christmas Eve celebrations, everyone remembers an event that was planned by Barb. Lake life was always special to her, beginning with her parent's cabin, followed by time at Clamshell on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes. Her final lake life experience started shortly after her cancer news with a spontaneous lake home purchase in Crosslake. She requested that her ashes be spread at the lakes that had an impact on her life. Barb made the most of each day after she received the cancer news. She was fortunate to have the energy to travel extensively, including snow-birding between AZ and Crosslake, a mother-daughter trip to Sweden to reconnect with extended family, and a family destination wedding in Cozumel. Her sorority and cheerleading friends made sure her calendar was always full of destination trips, including L.A., Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Cabo, and Scottsdale. Barb will be greatly missed by family, many friends, and anyone who knew her. All are welcome to a visitation at Washburn-McReavy from 5:00-7:00pm on Sunday, June 30th. Washburn-McReavy Funeral home is located in Edina at West 50th St. & Hwy 100. All are also welcome for the funeral service at Mount Olivet Church on Monday, July 1st. Funeral services starts at 1:00pm preceded by a visitation that begins at 12:30pm. Mount Olivet Lutheran Church is located at 5025 Knox Ave S. in Minneapolis. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (https://cholangiocarcinoma.org/donate/).

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Barb Gilkey

November 30, 1961 - June 14, 2024

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