Obituary of Timothy H. Gilbert

Timothy Hayden Gilbert of Canandaigua, NY, passed away at the M. M. Ewing Continuing Care Center on Friday, January 31, 2020, after a brief illness. He had fought Parkinson’s for many years and was ever hopeful for a cure one day. He was 73. The son of William (Bill) and Ruth (née Carey) Gilbert, Tim was born on November 6, 1946, in Canandaigua, NY. He grew up in Avoca, NY, where he had fond memories of his family’s Goodrich Diner and spending time with the Cleeves family. He graduated in1965 from Haverling High School in Bath, NY, where he enjoyed playing football and made lifelong friends. After attaining his Associate in Science at Corning Community College in 1967. Tim went on to major in history and get his bachelor’s degree at the University of Kentucky at Lexington in 1970 In 1981, he received a Master of Science degree in Applied Statistics at Rochester Institute of Technology. Tim liked to take on new challenges and opportunities. He started in quality control at Voplex in Canandaigua. He worked at Xerox as an Engineer in Quality Control and Statistics. In 1982, Tim moved to St. Louis to work in QC at McDonnell Douglas, but he eventually returned to Xerox. In 1997, he was part of a Xerox Business Services team that won the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence. Tim also consulting work with a focus on Six Sigma throughout the U.S. and in Canada. After retiring from Xerox, he worked at RIT in Development and Alumni Relations and as an adjunct professor in the Math Department at both RIT and Keuka College. Tim was passionate about helping others. He was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army and tutored migrant workers. Organizations Tim was involved in included Toastmasters, American Society for Quality (ASQ) Rochester, and The United Nations Association of Rochester. Tim married Brenda Stevenson in 1972 and together they raised two daughters, Molly and Caitlin. They divorced in 2005. Tim was remarried to Lynne M. Freeman in 2005. Tim enjoyed golfing, traveling, reading history and biographies, his family, and his friends. He had a quick wit and was able to chat easily with anyone he met and had many friends across generations. Tim sought to focus on the positive in life and remained hopeful that “the best is yet to come” as one of his favorite singers, Frank Sinatra, declared. Another one of Tim’s favorite songs that he liked to listen to as he woke up was “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck because he said it was upbeat and hopeful. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother-in-law Michael Reilly. He is survived by his daughters, Molly (Tampa, Florida), and Caitlin (Owings Mills, Maryland) and her fiancé Michael Holy, his brothers Tom (Kathy) Gilbert of Canandaigua and Al (Beverly) Gilbert of Palmyra), his sister Lynn (Tom) Dougherty of Chester, Virginia. He is also survived by his former wife Brenda Stevenson, his second wife Lynne Gilbert and her children, and many nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to: Parkinson Support Group of the Finger Lakes (SGFL) at P.O. Box 131 in Canandaigua, New York, 14424 or Mary’s Place Refugee Outreach at 414 Lexington Avenue in Rochester, NY 14613.