Philip Michael "Mike" Gilbert

Philip Michael "Mike" Gilbert passed away peacefully on February 23, 2021 at age 81 in West University, Texas.  Mike was born on March 7, 1939 in San Antonio, Texas to parents Philip Osborne Gilbert and Annette Geron Gilbert.  Mike is a graduate of Patti Welder High School in Victoria, Texas.  After high school, he served in the US Navy in Crew 11, Patrol Squadron 7 stationed in Brunswick, Maine.   Upon completion of his military obligation, Mike earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Sam Houston University, in Huntsville, Texas.  His first employer was Holt, Rinehart & Winston Publishing Co. as a sales representative in Wisconsin.  Throughout his life, Mike was a voracious reader, especially adventure and maritime authors.  Back in Texas, he became a successful commercial insurance broker, including owning his own firm, River Oaks Insurance.  After retiring from the insurance business, he owned and operated a sod business in El Campo, TX.  He was an avid and highly skilled outdoorsman, enjoying wade fishing in Port O'Connor, TX (where he owned a vacation home), bird hunting in south Texas, and shooting in the United Kingdom.  His time in the US Navy inspired him to become a pilot and plane owner later in life.  Mike cherished the relationships with his many friends in the Houston area and across the country.  He also loved his dogs, especially Dobermans and Labradors.  Mike had no children, but is survived by his twin godsons, Evan and Ian Norton, whom he considered his greatest achievement, supporting them into successful adulthood and careers.  He is survived by his brother, Pat (Christine), niece Allison, and nephew Daniel of Denver, Colorado, and sister, Gay of Tucson, Arizona.
In lieu of a funeral service, a celebration of Mike’s life will be held at a future date.