Gilbert A. Starry

Gilbert A. Starry passed away on Monday December 19, 2022. He lived all his 70 years in Enola, PA where he was well known and loved by many. Despite missing many days during hunting season, he graduated from East Pennsboro High School (1971). He was the person in the room people wanted to sit by. To get enough credits to graduate, he ended up among the first of a few young men to take home economics class. Gilbert’s performance in the class was excellent due to his experience at home. As one of the oldest in a large family he did a lot to try to make sure that everyone’s needs were met. He served in the US Army and completed a course in engineer missile equipment maintenance. Even though the Army would have loved to have kept the 6’4” sharpshooter, he was honorably discharged in 1973. He became a member of the American Legion post 751.There were a few significant women in Gilbert’s life over the years. He was married for 19 years and has a daughter from this relationship. She became an ecologist and credits much of her career success in this field to the time spent socializing with him and friends outdoors, especially in the garden. She regrets he couldn’t spend more time with his grandson to whom he was affectionately known as “Grumpy.”Gilbert was a railroader, starting as a brakeman for Conrail and holding positions as yardmaster and finally conductor with Norfolk Southern. Despite the many demands of this kind of shift work at inconsistent hours, he had many lifelong railroader friends. He could always make the best out of the worst of times. One year when he had to work over Thanksgiving, he was able to coordinate a break so that he could hop off the train to have dinner with family and then hop right back on! Gilbert was an avid gardener and anyone who visited his house knew how alive it felt to be there. Countless pounds of produce were offered generously, and many were returned with thanks in the form of jams and pickles. He enjoyed countless hours with friends and family drinking PBR, harvesting, canning, and freezing produce. He was a skilled hunter and fisherman, having his success profiled in the local paper on a few occasions. Several of the fish he caught locally over the years were acknowledged by the PA Fish and Boat Commission. Gilbert was also a charter life member of the Enola Sportsmen’s Association. Over the years his outdoor pursuits also took him to places such as Colorado to hunt for elk or to Erie to chase steelhead. A friend recently commented that you always knew a fishing trip with Gilbert was not going to be boring or uneventful. Gilbert was an excellent butcher. For a time, he also hosted a pig butcher that brought everyone together to tend to the scrapple. Gilbert enjoyed taking care of different farm animals, but pigs became his favorite the year he rescued a wounded piglet from the neighbor farm. Wilbur was the talk of the town in his early years. He could be seen riding shotgun in Gilbert’s old green Ford or even visiting the Enola Sportsmen’s Club on at least one occasion.With Gilbert’s passing we acknowledge the fading art of living a life in tune with the natural world and as part of a close-knit community. His place was the one to stop at after a hunting or fishing adventure and he played the unofficial role of adopted father, brother, and even uncle, to many. A celebration of Gilbert’s life will take place on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the Enola Sportsmen’s Club at 1pm. Donations in his memory can be made via check to the Enola Sportsmen's Association: attention Fishing Derby, 290 Pine Hill Rd Ext, Enola, PA 17025. The fishing derby provides youth with fishing rods, instruction and the opportunity to catch some fish on the Sportsmen’s Club grounds.

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