A visitation for Donald “Donnie” Wayne Gilbert, 64, of Paradise, Texas, will be held from 1-8 pm Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at Hudson & Torres Family Funeral Home in Bridgeport. He passed away at his home in Paradise on Thursday, May 25.
Donnie was a beloved husband, father, grandpa, friend, and storyteller, but you might remember him by a different name. After all, he was the most famous “redneck” James Bond on this side of the Mississippi. Country boy to his very core, he was born in Alabama in 1958, and, although he lived in Texas, he never forgot his roots. He’d commonly answer to Biscuit, Don Juan, Mater, Gilbert, Babe, and Grandpa. Heck, you could call him by any name, and he would still answer because that man liked to talk, and every word was an invitation to do so! He’d blame his deaf side, but if you knew him, you knew he loved the sound of his own voice. That man could keep a conversation going with a brick wall. He was such a great storyteller. Have you ever seen the movie, “Cars”? Do you remember the old truck, Mater? If you ever forget the sound of his voice, just watch that movie and you’ll understand. He never met a stranger. Donnie was the kind of man that would give you the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his wallet. He loved his family, and he loved his friends. More than that, though, he loved country music, Larry the Cable Guy, really bad jokes, “The Man From Snowy River,” old westerns, camouflage, “Yellowstone,” travelling, and photography; he especially loved to ruin the end of a series for you; he would talk during movies, eat all of your popcorn, and give cookies or ice cream to your children because it’s not “candy,” and he wasn’t breaking any rules. He was the best grandpa to his four grandchildren. While he spent the majority of his adult life welding tanks at Young’s Tank, Inc., in Boyd, tending farms and wrangling cattle like the honorary Dutton he was, he took on the grandpa role like a man that was born for it. Losing his leg really took a toll on him, but he did not let that bring him down. He used to always joke around and tell people he was on his last leg. He was the most “handi-capable” old man we ever knew, and we are just as proud of him as he was of all of us. Donnie will be so sorely missed by everyone that ever knew him, especially his wife that he drove crazy but loved dearly these past 24 years. We all hope to see you in Heaven one day, with your camo ball cap, suspenders, and that permed mullet you reluctantly gave up in the early 2000s; he set funky fashion trends since 1958. I mean, who were you trying to hide from all those years? The deer could hear you talking from over a mile away! They could smell you, too. I’ve never seen a more extensive men’s cologne collection in my life. Don’t ever stop being you, Donnie. We love you to the moon and back! This is not “goodbye,” but a “see ya later, alligator.”
He leaves behind his wife Kristy Gilbert; daughters Tiffany and husband Kevin Duffer, Brittany McIntyre, Ashton and husband Juan Fabela, Charity and husband Ben Green; sons Nathanial Bersch and wife Ann, and Joseph Gilbert; grandchildren Dylan Duffer, Alyssa and husband Jacob Troutman, and Brody and Margot Green.
Donnie is preceded in death by his father, James Gilbert; his mother, Edna Reeves; and all his siblings, Pete and Dave Gilbert, Lois Ann, and Tommie Sue.
© (Hudson & Torres Family Funeral Home)
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