Col. Lawrence Gaylord Gilbert USAF (Ret.) GILBERT, COL. LAWRENCE GAYLORD, USAF (RET.), 90, passed away on March 19, 2009.

He was born May 23, 1918, in Pleasant Lake, IN, second son of Charles and Gertrude Gilbert. Col. Gilbert loved his family and flying.

He graduated from flying school in 1941, several months before Pearl Harbor. Thereafter he flew submarine patrols in Douglas B-18s and served as instructor pilot in B-17 bombers. In 1943 he helped establish the 392nd Bomb Group at a B-24 airbase at Wendling, England, initially serving as Operations Officer, then Deputy Group Commander, and finally Group Commander in 1945.

He continued service with the Air Force in the Berlin Airlift and later the Military Air Transport Service until his retirement in 1961, when the family moved to Winter Park, FL.

A stone monument erected and maintained at the Wendling site by the Memorial Association stands as testimony to the dedication, valor and commitment of the men and women who served there during World War II.

Col. Gilbert married Marjorie E. Hardy of Hudson, IN, in 1945. He is survived by his wife of 64 years; daughter, Anne Gilbert Brooks; and son, Lawrence Jr.; grandchildren, Darcy Brooks Cuthill, Sarah Brooks Snell, Lauren Gilbert Ruane and Taylor Gilbert; and great-grandchildren, Rachel and Ryan Cuthill of Calgary, Alberta, and Caroline and Sydney Snell of Rye, NY.

A memorial celebration of Col. Gilbert's life will be held at Mayflower Retirement Community in Winter Park on March 23, 2009. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, or 392nd Bomb Group Memorial Association, www.b24.net.