James L. Gilbert

James L. Gilbert, 48, of Fitchburg, MA unexpectedly joined his ancestors on July 3, 2023. 

He left behind his loving wife of 23 years, Sarah Gilbert of Fitchburg, MA and 2 young sons, Samuel Gilbert and Luke Gilbert.  His uncle, Donald Delorme of Fitchburg, MA., his sisters, Bonnie Mahoney and her husband Tom Mahoney of Templeton, MA., Bobbie Kingsbury of Tampa, FL and Pamela Buck of Tacoma, WA. 

 He was predeceased by his mother, Eleanor Gilbert of Fitchburg, MA and his father Michael Gilbert of Yakima,WA

Jim was first and foremost a family man.  His wife Sarah and sons, Sam and Luke, were his world. Everything he did was with them in mind. He idolized his uncle, Donald Delorme, who raised him like his own son. His sisters, Bonnie Mahoney or Bobbie Kingsbury, could annoy him to no end but he would drop everything at a moment's notice to be there for them. This love of family extended to all.  If you ever needed anything, Big Jim was there to lend a hand. He loved the holidays because that meant he would be able to see and connect with his extended family.

If anything was going to rival his love for his family would be his love for the New England Patriots and football in general.  He coached his boy’s football teams (Leominster Youth Football and Leominster Youth Flag Football) as well as baseball, basketball and even soccer (which he knew nothing about!)  His love for football extended to his epic fantasy football teams and all of the smack talk that went with it. 

He worked in many different technical industries but his first love was aviation.  He earned his Airframe and Power plant license from East Coast Aero Tech and immediately went to work fixing planes.  He worked for the airlines until soon after 9/11.  He then moved to Hewlett Packard and worked in their printing press division until 2019.  Needing to challenge himself he moved into the robotics industry and worked for Right Hand Robotics for 5 years.  He recently felt the need to get back into aviation and started working for Alakai Technologies trying to help them get their drone air taxis into the sky.

He was a man of many talents and interests.  His love of anything Star Wars was legendary.  He never turned down a good mafia movie either. The Godfather and Good Fellas were often playing in his home. He also had a love of Monty Python and British humor in general. He was an avid music lover.  His music tastes varied widely but he was a rock and metal guy at heart. He always knew just the right music to play for any occasion. He was also an avid war history buff.  Most notably was his ridiculous amount of knowledge about the Civil War. He was incredibly proud of being a card carrying member of the Choctaw Nation. He had a way with words. He didn’t write often, but when he did, his words could bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye. He wrote with sincerity, insight and humor.  

In the immortal words of Yoda, “Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not.” Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to United Brachial Plexus Network - https://ubpn.org/ or the Choctaw Nation Chahta Foundation - https://chahtafoundation.com/.

The family encourages everyone who comes to the calling hours to wear your favorite Patriots or Leominster/Fitchburg football attire. 

Calling hours for Jim are on Tuesday, July 11,2023 at the funeral home from 5 until 8 p.m. All friends and relatives are welcome to attend.

A Memorial service for Jim will be on Wednesday @ 11a.m. in the funeral home for family and invited friends.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James L. Gilbert, please visit our floral store.