Walter Henry Guilbert

4-24-1944 rest in peace 4-29-2021

Our beloved Walter Henry Guilbert passed away peacefully on April 29 at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. Walter was born on April 24, 1944 in San Jose. The Guilbert Family would like to thank the staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital in the Observatory Unit, the PCU and especially the ICU for their outstanding care, concern and compassion. 

Walter is survived by his sons Jorn Walter Guilbert of Sacramento and Rico Marcel Guilbert of Eureka and their spouses, Hamisi and Jennifer respectively. Brother Norman Howard Guilbert and his wife Barbara of Montana and five grandchildren Denise, Adriana, Jazmin, Malia and Jamin, as well as many nieces and nephews. Walt was preceded in death by his parents Howard Edward Guilbert and Lillian Eloise Guilbert (Brown) and his brother Douglas Edward Guilbert. 

Walt was a graduate of Campbell Union High School in Campbell. He studied at San Jose State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Natural Science. Walt was a military veteran who served in the US Navy as an Electronic Technician on the U.S.S. Forrestal Aircraft Carrier. He served four years earning an Honorable Discharge at the rank of E5.

 
Walt was grateful for his joyous work experiences throughout his work history and loved sharing the stories with his family. This included the companies he worked for, the people he reported to, and the people who reported to him. Work experiences included him working side by side with his father Howard, at Lake County Realty as a real estate agent, tax consultant and broker. He held positions with Yakima as a Purchasing Agent and Engineering Tech and held multiple leadership positions with Pepsi Bottling Company and Cypress Grove Chevre. He even started a restaurant, as the co-owner of Frankly Delicious in Arcata. Walt was respected by those he worked for and worked with. 

Walt was a great believer in humanity and the environment. He believed in diversity, equity and inclusion for all people. He joined groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was involved in marches and protests in his college years. Walt had a great appreciation for nature. He belonged to groups that supported his passions like: Greenpeace, Trout Unlimited and the Sierra Club, amongst many others. Walt also was an avid recycler of all things. Walt often visited the recycle yard with organized containers of 10-12 bins with 7-8 categories of recyclables.

In addition, Walt supported local publications, belonging to PBS North Coast and received the Eureka Times-Standard delivered on a daily basis to his front doorstep. 

Walt was a big fan of sports. He especially loved college sports over professional sports, believing college players had more passion for the game. However soccer was his greatest passion. He shared this passion with his family early by taking them to several San Jose Earthquake games in the mid-70s at the old Spartan Stadium. He was also active in soccer locally, coaching his oldest son on the Arcata’s Jogg’N Shoppe team in the early 80s, and eventually starting a league in Clearlake in the mid 80s, coaching both of his beloved sons. To add to his sports enthusiasm, in his later years he had multiple TV’s throughout his home so that one could always be on soccer! Especially the overseas professional leagues.

 
Walt loved using his mind and hands to tinker, build and repurpose things. He remodeled many of the rentals he owned including adding some additions like the front deck on his home in Clearlake. In his spare time, Walt also made his own fishing poles and tied his own flies for his fly fishing expeditions.

 
Walt enjoyed gatherings with family and friends, like spending time as a youth with the Barcello’s and Taylor’s on their ranch. Some of his favorite things were Friday night beers with Bob Young of Arcata and his brother Ron, or getaways with Mark and Rhonda Early of Kneeland to their cabin in Trinity Lake.

Walt has friends that date back to elementary school that he has maintained lifelong friendships with. These include: Fred Nooteboom of Monte Sereno, Jim Carter of Arcata, George Junker of San Jose, and Hooter Meredith of Cathedral City. This group did many wonderful things together such as driving from San Jose to the East Coast in their 20s. They would also do yearly trips with their families to the Klamath River, camping right on the shoreline through the access of a private logging road. There were yearly trips to Caples Lake, California that include trolling for trout and hiking on ski resorts. Most importantly were the yearly gatherings at his parents’ house on the lake in Clearlake, affectionately known as “Guilbert’s ATTHELAKE”.

 
Rest easy, Walt, you are missed and loved by many and your sons thank you for a wonderful life.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Walt Guilbert’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.