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Herb Gilbert
February 2, 1930 to February 23, 2004
"Someone to Watch over Me"
Herb was born in 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Ralph &
Clara Gilbert. He was the third of four boys. Herb's early
introduction to the canine world was with his grandfather's smooth
coated fox terriers. He told stories of the tricks his grandfather
would teach these dogs, to balance on his hand, to jump high in the air
through hoops and fetch anything and everything with a drive only a
terrier can possibly possess. Herb, although impressed by these
small dogs was not overly fond of them, he insisted someday he would
have a real dog to share his life. Little did he know what the
future had in store for him.
Herb graduated from high school in 1948 and worked with his father
and grandfather on the river barges in Pittsburgh along the three river
area of Pittsburgh. In 1950 he entered the United States Air Force
where he served as an air policeman during the Korean War. During
this stay he met and married his first wife, Dorothy, an Air Force
nurse. It was after their discharge from the Air Force in 1954
that Herb acquired his first boxer, Duke (a Bangaway
grandson). He often said he knew the moment he laid
eyes on Duke he had found that "real" dog.
Dorothy and Herb moved to Colorado so that Herb could attend the
Colorado School of Gun Smithing. Their original plan was for him
to go back to Pennsylvania after the course and to open his own shop
there. Again, love at first sight and Herb was put under the
spell of the beautiful mountains. After graduating from the school
Herb joined the Colorado State Patrol. He patrolled Highway 285
from Bailey to Fairplay. Duke was their only "child" for
six years until a son, Ralph, was born in 1960. A daughter, Doris
followed in 1962. Duke immediately took to his role as caretaker
for the kids, which convinced Herb even more that he had indeed chosen
the "real" dog. Duke was lost to him in 1963, the victim
of what was believed to be poison, either intended or accidental –
Herb was never able to confirm. In late 1964 Dorothy was diagnosed
with breast cancer and passed away in December 1965. Herb was left
alone with two small children to raise. He acquired another
older boxer, also named Duke, when the dog's owners could no longer keep
him. Duke only lived a short time with his new family before
cancer claimed his life as well.
Herb was raised in Pennsylvania, as was I. His mother lived
next to a friend whom I worked with at the time. Louise insisted
that Herb and I were two of a kind – we loved the outdoors, dogs
and had a passion for the horse as well. Herb had begun
raising Appaloosa horses during the time he and Dorothy were
married. He had sent the horses to his brother, Chuck, in
Oklahoma when Dorothy passed away and had moved his family from Bailey
to Golden, Colorado in order to make sure he had someone to watch over
the children while he worked. Touched by this man's struggles and
pain I wrote him a brief note expressing my sympathy and encouraging him
that all was not lost, that God would provide all he needed when the
time was right. He returned a nice note and I felt good that
I had provided a little light in his life.
Seven months later I received another note from Herb, once again
thanking me for allowing him to see the sunshine again and a
correspondence between us began. In early July 1967 I made
the journey on vacation with a friend to meet face to face the man
who seemed to know me better than I knew myself. Our first meeting
was all we had expected and in two weeks time we knew our lives were
meant to be shared. I returned home to tell my parents I had found
the man I wanted to marry. They had concerns about me taking on
the role of wife and mother but I assured them that there was love
here and I was prepared to take on all the responsibilities that would
come my way. I had driven across county with his two children for
a visit with their Grandmother and knew these two little children were
also meant to be a part of my life. When I returned home, I sold
my beloved horse, Cherokee Lady, and my horse trailer and flew to
Colorado to be married. Herb and I flew back, picked up the kids
and my German Shepherd, Sonja. We drove back across the country
with a U-Haul trailer, two kids and a German Shepherd in the back
seat of a 1966 Chevelle Super Sport. Herb said if we could survive
the honeymoon we could survive anything and he was so right.
It was apparent early on in our transition that Sonya would not
adjust to a life full of children and share my bed with a
man. After several months of trying it, a hard decision had
to be made, but I found her another home with a deputy sheriff. Sonya
was young – just over a year – and the transition was much easier on
her than on me.
We moved back to Bailey and brought the horses home. My life
seemed full but Herb knew I still wanted a dog. His
suggestion, of course, was his idea of a "real" dog. My
own experience with the boxer had been limited to a German
Shepherd/Boxer mix called Buster whom I had adopted from the Pittsburgh
Humane Society years before. When I purchased Sonya I thought it
was the Shepherd side I loved, but fate was to teach me another lesson,
guided by the hands and heart of my husband. We began
to look for another boxer and one day as I drove from my duties as
Investigation Secretary for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department I
spotted a station wagon in front of me with two beautiful boxers gazing
out the back window at me. I jotted down the license plate and ran
a registration check on the plate the next day when I returned to
work. I was able to obtain the name of the owner of the car and
her phone number. My first words to her were not hello, but
"Where did you get your boxers?" I then regained
my composure, identified myself and told her I was looking for a boxer
puppy for my husband and kids. She put me in touch with Opal
Adcock of Seedskidee Boxers in Denver. I called Opal
immediately and asked to be put on a list for any future
litters. Herb had told me he was very specific about the dog
he wanted to replace Duke, so I was sure to let Opal know we were
looking for a plain fawn male. Opal's intentions were good in
advising that it might be wise to purchase a brindle or a flashy dog to
replace Duke. She felt Herb might be trying too hard to
replace his first boxer. Herb didn't budge and finally in 1969 a
litter was born and "Sarge," (Gilbert's Sergeant At Arms)
joined our family. A few days with Sarge convinced me that Herb
was so right, a boxer was and is the dog I had fallen in love with when
Buster walked this earth. Sarge was a Treceder's Selection
grandson.
Several months later another boxer, Kelley, came into our life.
I was convinced that Sarge was lonely when the kids and I and Herb were
gone all day and he needed a canine companion. The horses were not
good playmates for an energetic boxer. Herb and I already
had a good knowledge of anatomy and we hoped to produce a sound boxer
with a good temperament Kelley's background included Willow
Ridge and the Von Schorer lines. We did not start out with
the plan to breed for show, we intended to just breed a litter of good
puppies now and again to share with others. Then we made a trip to
our first dog show and, as they say, the rest is history
After leaving the Patrol we moved to Oklahoma in 1974. Our
son, Paul, was born in October 1975. Herb opened his own real
estate company and held various security jobs. He suffered a
stroke in March of 1995 but his passion for our breed never
wavered. You all know the story by now of his
"Dollar." All our dogs were special to Herb over the
years but Dollar by far was his favorite and stayed by his side to the
very end. Herb now travels the mountains and meadows of
heaven accompanied by all the boxers who have gone to the bridge before
him. Dollar remains at my side now, a reminder of the beautiful
man we both loved.
Herb never claimed to be the breeder in the family, he remained
behind the scenes most of the time telling everyone his job was to
"love" the boxers and mine was to do the rest. Don't let
that fool you, he was ever a part of my decisions and his
"eye" for a good boxer never faltered. He offered
support for our breed any time he could and continued to tell everyone
to get a "real" dog.
A few Champions to date – there are many more that do not bear
our kennel name but are a direct result of our breeding program:
Ch. Sarkel's Stairway to Stardom
Ch. Sarkel's One Step Above
Ch. Haley's Majic Song of Sarkel
Ch. Sarkel's Promise of Cross Bars, CD, DOM
Ch. Sarkel's Back To The Future
Ch. Sarkel's Step Right Up
Ch. Sarkel's Still Steppin' Up
Ch. Sarkel's Strength for Hi-Stand
Ch. Sarkel's Promising Future, DOM
Ch. Sarkel's True Grit, CGC
Ch. Sarkel's A Few Dollars More
Ch. Sarkel's A Dollar & A Dream
Ch. Sarkel's Strength To Dream
Ch. Damas True Promise of Sarkel
Among Herb's other accomplishments in a life well lived are as
follows:
32 Degree Mason, Former Past Master of Doric Lodge No. 25, A.F.A.M.,
Fairplay, Colorado
Current Member of Broken Arrow Lodge No. 243, A.F.A.M.
Life Member of Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, S.J. USA - Colorado
Consistory
De Molay Legion of Honor Recipient
Member of the El Jebel Shrine of Denver, Colorado
Life Member of the National Rifle Association
Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans
Graduate of Tulsa Junior College - 1988 with an Associates Degree in
Business Administration
Member of Theta Kappa Fraternity
Past President of the Boxer Club of Oklahoma, Inc.
Member of the American Boxer Club
Ann Gilbert
SARKELBX@aol.com
http://www.geocities.com/sarkelboxer/ |
