Lawerence Eugene Gilbertz

Lawrence E. (Larry) Gilbertz died peacefully at home on November 26, 2011. He was82.Dad was a rancher and cattleman. He was born February 3, 1929, the son of CampbellCounty homesteaders, Jake and Lena Gilbertz. He grew up on hard work. Throughouthis life, he built miles and miles of barbed wire fence and, in many ways, he was likebarbed wire.Barbed wire is sharp and prickly. It's thin but tough. If you try to wrestle with it, it'll bendand twist back on itself until you're real sorry you ever picked that fight. But the purposeof barbed wire is to keep the stock secure in a place where you can protect and care forthem. Only a fool would try to whitewash a barbed-wire fence, so we'll try to tell the truthhere -- mostly.Dad was sharp. He graduated from Campbell County High School, where he excelled onthe debate team. He always wanted to be a lawyer, but he laid that dream aside to takeover the family ranch when his father asked him to do it. Dad had a great intelligenceand wide-ranging interests. He could fix anything with baling wire and spit. He educatedhimself on mineral law, then negotiated hard-nosed contracts with oil and gasdevelopers. Dad traveled the world with Mom. He served on bank boards and schoolboards. He was a state senator assigned to the appropriations committee for six years.Dad was a keen observer of life, and the irony of any situation was never lost on him.He could also be prickly, sometimes downright cantankerous. He married Mom, VernaAnn Howell, in 1955. They were partners in work and play for over 56 years.They raisedfour children. Family life with Dad included healthy doses of yelling, cussing, snortingand stomping, sprinkled with plenty of laughter and fun. The end result was a wholefamily of opinionated, stubborn kids, who learned how to work hard, work smart, andsuck it up when they felt like whining or quitting.For most of his life, Dad wasn't just thin, he was downright skinny. And he was tough.He served in the U.S. Army in post-war Germany in the worst cold he ever knew. He wasstomped, kicked and run over by cattle and horses, slid down a telephone pole on hisface while trying to fix the line, ran his finger through an auger, drove a snowmobile offthe edge of the Pumpkin Buttes, pulled calves in the bitter spring storms and harvestedgrain in the scorching summer. He liked to party hard. He always kept going.There were plenty who wished they hadn't picked a fight with Dad. He sued the IRS andwon. He forced mineral development companies to respect the ranch land, clean uptheir trash and re-seed disturbed areas with his own special grass seed blend. Arguingwith Dad was a lost cause. He was always right. Period.He never lost his purpose in life. He believed passionately in being fair, and he stood upfor others when he thought they were being treated wrongly. Many friends and familymembers turned to him for advice and guidance on financial, legal, and mineral issues.He loved the ranch and his family. There was a special spot in his heart for our cabins inthe Tongue River Canyon. He sought to protect and to care for us all. His father was hisfriend. He was devoted to his mother. He helped provide for his sisters. He was mostafraid when he thought he would lose Mom to cancer. He was extraordinarily proud ofhis grandchildren. In his seventies, he learned to say "I love you" to us all. Dad toldMom he considered his children his greatest accomplishment in life. Although we onlyheard it spoken so plainly after he died, there was never any doubt that he loved us andwas proud of us.Now, it's our turn. We love you, Dad, and we are very proud of you and your manycontributions to our family, the community and the state. Thanks for your steadyguidance, your wit and wisdom and your generosity. You were the toughest, mostreliable partner we had. We are going to miss you greatly.Larry was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Leona Koers, Helen Marshall,Margaret Boyle, Dorothy Clifford and brother Kern DeCourcey.He is survived by his wife, Verna Ann; four children Kathie Gilbertz Shandera and herhusband Steve of Billings, MT, L.D. Gilbertz and his wife, Rebecca of Gillette, SusanGilbertz of Billings, MT, and Jay Gilbertz and his wife Elisabeth of Sheridan, Wy; eightgrandchildren Amy LeMarr, Sarah Shandera, Chris Gilbertz, Anni Shandera-Ochsner, TyGilbertz, Laura Benedict, Logan and Gavin Gilbertz; two step-grandchildren, Jake andDaniel Wilson, two great-grandsons Saxton and Brannon LeMarr; numerous nieces andnephews, and extended family members Jody Mills and Marsha Gilbertz.Visitation will be Monday 6-8 p.m. and Tuesday 3-7 p.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 410Medical Arts Court. The vigil service will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Walker's. Mass ofChristian burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at St. Matthew'sCatholic Church. Burial will be at Savageton Cemetery, followed by a luncheon at PleasantDale Hall.The family suggests memorials to the Campbell County Rockpile Museum, the HeptnerCancer Center at Campbell County Memorial Hospital or the charity of one's choice. Memorials and condolences may be sent in Larry's name in care of Walker Funeral Home, 410 Medical Arts Court, Gillette, Wyoming 82716. Condolences may also be sent via the website www.walkerfuneralhome.com.Funeral Home:Walker Funeral Home410 Medical Arts CourtGillette, WYUS 82716