Clyle Wayne Gilbert Jr.

Clyle Wayne Gilbert Jr.
(Aug. 14, 1936-Nov. 10, 2020)

Named after his father, Wayne Gilbert was known simply as "Junior" in Mound City, MO, where he was born to Clyle Wayne Gilbert Sr. and Inez Lorraine (Nauman) Gilbert.  An excellent student there, he received a scholarship to the University of  Missouri School of Mines in Rolla, but after one year he left college to pursue a dream of his, which was to live and work in Colorado.  There he worked first in Denver and then in Boulder until he enlisted in the Army in 1956.

As a non-combatant, Wayne received medical training and then was deployed to Bremerhaven, Germany, to work in the 33rd Station Hospital.  While in Germany, he met and married Helga Sturken, and in 1958 their first child, Doreen, was born.  In January of ‘61, a second daughter, Patricia Ann was born and soon after, Wayne received orders to return to the States.

After being discharged from the Army, Wayne moved his family to Denver. There he worked first for Public Service and then for Bradford Printing.  During the ‘60s he was learning everything he could about computers and programming, and soon his credentials in this new field landed him a position at the Rocky Mountain News as supervisor of programming.  There he helped to install the first massive-sized computer at the News and was promoted to Assistant DP manager.  After several years there, he moved on to work for the City of Denver as a programmer/analyst for ten years.

In 1986, Wayne’s second marriage was to Anita Jepson, and in 1990 they took on a new challenge together as Site managers at the Four Mile Historic Park, living and working on this historic farm for the next 5 years.  These were Wayne’s most fulfilling years as he was always interested in history, especially American history.  As Volunteer Coordinator, Wayne made many friends there, including Charley and Floyd, the two draft horses who pulled the historic stagecoach.  When his health no longer could sustain the heavy work at the Park, Wayne opened a new chapter in his life of ever expanding interests.

Over the next 20 years Wayne turned his historical interests toward antique radios, not only publishing countless articles on them but also collecting them and even building some from available kits.  He discovered the Colorado Radio Collectors and made even more friends there, always ready to learn from those who might know more than he.

The last five years had been increasingly difficult for Wayne as he battled chronic pain and was limited by his respiratory illness that kept him tethered to oxygen.  Yet he continued to read incessantly, always trying to keep his mind active by learning something new.  Finally, on November 10th, Wayne lost his battle at home, where Anita and his two daughters tended to him under Home Hospice Care.
Besides his wife Anita and his two daughters Doreen and Patricia, Wayne Gilbert is survived by four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.