Obituary of Jack G

Jack G. Gilbert, Sr. Jack G. Gilbert, Sr. 82, of Charlotte, peacefully entered the Church Triumphant on September 21, 2010. Jack was the son of the late George Voelker and Nell Gaston Gilbert. He was born on March 2, 1928 and attended Darlington Prep School in Rome, Georgia and graduated from Central High School in Charlotte in 1946. He attended The Citadel in Charleston SC and Wofford College in Spartanburg SC. After his college years, he joined his father in the family auto parts business, Piedmont Auto Exchange, Co., Inc. and was married in 1949 to Helen Branner Gilbert of Charlotte. Their marriage ended in 1958. Jack was a leader and innovator in the auto parts aftermarket when he began a parts distribution warehouse in Charlotte, Wholesaler?s Auto Parts Warehouse, Inc, as a part of the Piedmont Auto Parts family. It was one of the first auto parts distribution centers in the country and forever changed the auto parts aftermarket. Jack served on many automotive councils and boards and was awarded the General Motors, AC Spark Plug Division Board of Directors Award in 1964. He expanded the parts business in the 1960?s by opening 5 stores in the Charlotte area. The family association of Piedmont Auto Parts stores also included 19 stores in North and South Carolina. In 1979, the business was sold and Jack retired to North Myrtle Beach, S.C. In 2004, Jack began having health problems and he moved to Huntersville N.C. to be closer to family. Shortly thereafter, he suffered a series of strokes that required his move to The Lutheran Home in Salisbury NC where he was a resident until his death. Jack was the first Scoutmaster of the Cub Scout Pack at St. Mark?s Lutheran Church in Charlotte when the church relocated from its former North Tryon Street site to its present location on Queens Road and was an active member in much of the church?s activities and leadership. He was also a member of Charles M. Setzer Masonic Lodge No. 693, and was a 32nd Degree Mason in The Order of the Ancient and Royal Scottish Rite, and a loyal member and supporter of the Oasis Shrine. He loved working in the yard and possessed a green thumb for all plants and flowering shrubs. Jack was preceded in death by his older sister, Margaret, for whom he provided and cared for all her life, and his stepsister, Phyllis A. Hopkins. He is survived by his children, Rev. Dr. Jack (?Gil?) Gilbert, Jr. (and Karen) of Charlotte, Dorothea Maslo (and John) of Stanley NC, Richard Gilbert of North Myrtle Beach, SC, Andrew Gilbert of Huntersville, N.C., Adam Gilbert of Calabash, N.C., and Philip Gilbert of Charlotte, and grandchildren, Mandy, George, III, Derrick, Krystal, Jessica, Christopher, and Kristen. He is also survived by his former wife, Alice Helms of Conway SC, and his brother- in-law, John C. Hopkins of Franklin, Virginia. An informal Celebration of Life and the Resurrection will be held on Saturday, October 16,2010 at 11:00 a.m. for the Interment of Ashes at the Columbarium at St. Mark?s Lutheran Church, 1001 Queens Road in Charlotte. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes to honor Jack?s request that gifts of remembrance be sent to The Lutheran Home at Trinity Oaks, 820 Klumac Road, Salisbury NC 28144, and to the Shriners? Children Hospital, 950 Faris Road, Greenville, SC 29605 in his memory. The family also wishes to thank all those who visited him during his stay at The Lutheran Home in Salisbury and to the Lutheran Home staff for their wonderful, compassionate care which he received as a resident. The family also thanks Mr. Ken Poe and the staff at Hankins &Whittington Funeral Service for their assistance and care.