"Dear Cindy, Eric, and Jeannine, Gil was a very special friend to my husband, Jim Wiley, and a very real comfort to me when Jim passed away. My heartfelt prayer is that they are together now. I have only good memories of Gil - his kindness, generosity, and truly fun and good natured spirit. I will miss him. God Bless You, Gil. Cindy, Eric, Jeannine, Lois, etal,...you are in my prayers. Gil will always be with you in the memories and moments you cherish. Siempre Fi."
In loving memory of
Gilbert F. Kett
December 31, 1969 - December 31, 1969
Gilbert F. Kett, 77, a long time resident of Carmel, IN passed away peacefully on January 22, 2009. Gilbert was born on May 15, 1931 to Carl Edward and Jeanne May (Theis) Kett in Covington, Kentucky. He graduated from Shortridge High School followed by earning a B.S. at Indiana University in 1957. Gilbert served in the United States Marine Corps from 1951 to 1954. He forged a successful career with Ryerson Steel for 40 years. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Indiana University Alumni Association, Mayor Lugar?s Task Force, Zionsville community and Carmel United Methodist Church Choir, Past President of the Eden Forest Homeowners Association, Past President of the Carmel Economic Development Commission, developer of the Flowing Well of Carmel that is in the process of being renamed The Gilbert F. Kett Memorial Flowing Well, Founder and Board Member of the Carmel Clay Legacy Fund, Carmel Chamber of Commerce Citizens Award, Contributing artist of the St. Mary?s Miracle Ball, Godfather St. Mary?s Child Center, President of the Five Seasons Board of Governors, Paul Harris Fellow, Recipient of 2005 Carmel Rotary Outstanding Service Award, Marine Corps League, Gyro Club of Indianapolis, F.B.I Citizens Academy Graduate, and Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Presidents Citation. Gilbert was a WWII history buff and enjoyed snow skiing, golf, was an avid tennis player and enjoyed international travel. He was also an accomplished artist, photographer, writer and illustrator. Survivors include daughter Cynthia Ann (Daniel) Ferrulli; son, Eric Cochran (Amanda) Kett; sister, Lois Jeanne (Robert) Kiley; granddaughter, Mia Ann Ferrulli; many nieces and nephews; and beloved companion of many years, Jeannine A. DeRoy and her children, Janelle (Luke) Drake grandson, Eli Drake and Darin DeRoy. Gil lived his life with passion and love. He was a loyal friend to many and a wonderful example of putting people first in his life. He touched countless lives and was all about how he made people feel. Friends and family may gather for a Celebration of Life service at 2:00pm at St. Luke?s United Methodist Church with a visitation to follow from 4 to 8 pm in the Leppert Mortuary, Nora Chapel both on Sunday, January 25, 2009. You are invited to visit www.leppertmortuary.com to leave a personal message, sign the guestbook or make memorial contributions to St. Mary?s Child Center.
Tributes
"Jeannine, Cindy and Eric ~Our hearts are just breaking for you with the loss of Gil ~ and we are so sorry to miss the Memorial Service tomorrow. What a "special man" who was loved by all who were fortunate enough to call Gil a friend. He will be so missed . . . his wit, his talent, his charm and his bright smile ~ we loved him so. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during these very difficult times."
"Dear Danny, Cindy and Mia; Jeannine and Eric:When people pass, I immediately recall what we did together that created that bound we all call "friend." Gil was such a friend at a time when I needed someone for support and security. That's a friend for life, a joyful one at that."
"Dearest Lois ----We were so sorry to hear of Gil's passing. Please know that we are thinking about you and your family and extend our prayers and deepest sympathy.Much LoveTom and Anne"
"Dear Cindy and Eric,I want you to know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. Although I didn't know your dad, I know you two. That speaks volumes for the kind of man he must have been. Give this time to your most joyous memories of your dad, I found them to be the only true comfort when losing my own. He is forever strong, handsome, happy, and full of life. Watching over you, always there to listen, support, and love, just in a different way. He rests peacefully inside you both, living on through you and the wonderful life you have left to still give and share with others. He is there, through good and bad, always. Cry often, grieve your loss, but don't forget to laugh and celebrate moments you know he would enjoy, because he will be enjoying them too. I am here if you need anything, especially in the months to come. It will be difficult, and I know it seems unlikely, but time will ease the pain in your heart. Cindy, hold Mia tight, look deep into her eyes. Children have a way of lifting our hearts in our most difficult moments. He is now with your mother, forever more. In deepest sympathy,Tricia"
"Dear Jeannine,We are so sorry to hear of Gil's passing. He represented well all of the good traits you seek in an individual. He was compassionate and passionate; he was generous, funny, thoughtful, kind, helpful, and a true leader. Most of all to us, he was tremendous friend. Gil made the world a better place. It is lesser in his absence. We will miss him tremendously.Sonya & Dave"
"Cindy and Eric,My prayers are with you during this difficult timeJust remember your father loved you so much and would not want you to be sad. He so enjoyed lifePray and God will give you strength in all thingsThinking of you and your father as always with fond memories "
"Lois,Just want you to know you and your family are in prayersand you have our deepest sympathy.Know in your heart he is in a better place and God will watch over him.Bo"
"I will always remember Gil as the kind of person that wasso good and kind that when you left seeing him you saidto yourself that I want to touch people the way he did."
"Dear Eric, Cindy and Jeannine, Gil will be missed by his many friends. After working atRyerson with him for many years it did not take long to know that I had a real friend. He will be missed by all who knew him. His loyalty was always exhibited at work or play. We shared laughs and we shared tears. He willalways be part of so many lives. What a priviledge to have enjoyed his friendship."
"Eric, Cindy and Jeanine -I am really sorry to hear about your loss. I was always so impressed with what a great dad Gil was. Rarely will you find a man who stays so close and involved in his children's lives. All men who have children should strive to be like him - understanding, unconditional, unselfish, caring, involved, approachable, proud, guiding, and forgiving. I know you will all really miss him but I'm glad that you will never forget how much he loved you.With thoughts and prayers,Tim"
"Of all the things that make a good man.............Gil was more.............he was the epitome of a good man."
"Dear Cindy, Eric and families,We were blessed to have been counted among Gil's friends for the past 10+ years. His achievements enriched the lives of many in the communities in which he lived and worked. Even more did he touch the lives of those close to him with his warmth, caring, and genuine pride in his country, city and neighborhood. May God grant Gil rest in His Kingdom and may He grant you all peace."
"We have known Gil for over thirty years and were so saddened to hear of his passing. We always found him to be a man of great integrity and humor and were admirable of his multi-faceted interests and charitable work. He will be missed by all who knew him."
"To all of Gil's families members:I want tell you how sorry to hear about his illness and passing away. What I knew about Gil of the great things he has done was thru my dad Jim Wiley. Also Gil really help out during when my dad was going thru the dying process and after with the family when he passed. I know that my dad loved Gil with so much!! I am praying for your family during this hard time. I know that my dad was there to greet Gil when he arrived to the heaven above!! "
"Dear Jeannine, Cindy & Family: We cannot put into words how saddened we are.. Although God has called Gil home -he will always be with us. The very few times we shared with him were unforgettable. Life is not about how important one is or how influential they are as individuals, but about how they make other people feel and Gil made us all feel so very special.We loved him from the start; he will remain an example to us all. Now heaven welcomes him; we are confident he'll be there to greet us all when our time arrives. Life without him goes on, but his spirit will remain in our hearts, on the tennis courts, watching a Colts game or the Indy 500....Gil's smile and warmth and kind example of goodness, will live on for us all. We deeply regret not being there to offer our personal condolences .....but we extend... "
"To Cindy, Eric and Jeannine,Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We will never forget the warmth and hospitality Gill extended when we relocated to Indianapolis, it sure made the transition much easier. So many fun times together and these will remain with us forever.. A great business associate and a great friend.."
"To: Cyndy & Dan We are thinking about you in the loss of your Dad / Father in law. Your Dad was always so pleasant when he came to see you or drop something off for you at the the Doctors'ofice. Cyndy, whenever you spoke of your dad, it was always positive. He must have touched many lives. I wish I had known him much better. Let Eric know our thoughts are with him as well. Mia must be at least 8 years old now. She will remember her grandad. Take care of yourselves."
"Cindy & family,We were sad to hear of your dads passing & wanted you to know our thoughts and prayers are with you and all your loved ones at this sad time. Love, Jeff & Gina Rose"
"Dear Cindy and Eric,I am so sorry to hear about your father. My mother, Ruby Brunst, could have not had a better neighbor than Gil. She loved not only Gil, but the both of you very much. Gil was always there lending a helping hand to Mother. Your father was a very kind man. May God surround you with his love during this difficult time. My prays and thoughts go out to both of you and your families. God Bless!"
"Dear Cindy and Eric,I am so sorry to hear about your father. My mother, Ruby Brunst, could have not had a better neighbor than Gil. She loved not only Gil, but the both of you very much. Gil was always there lending a helping hand to Mother. Your father was a very kind man. May God surround you with his love during this difficult time. My prays and thoughts go out to both of you and your families. God Bless!"
"As a former classmate of Gilbert's, I wish to convey my condolences to his family and friends. May God shine his light upon you and give you peace."
"I first met Gil at Five Seasons a short 7 years ago and instantly became friends. He made me feel like I've known him for 70 years. It was hard to say "no" to Gil whenever he asked you to help with anything, so the next thing I knew, I was serving on the Board of Governors along with Gil. (he had a gift for making you jump in with both feet)I have so many fun memories of him, but the ones I'll cherish the most are all of the hugs and kisses he gave when he would walk up to the exercise room and I would go out to say "hello", all the times he would walk me to my car (and sometimes he would drive me to my car because the lot at Five Seasons would be full and I had to park a little farther away than usual), the handwritten notes and newspaper articles he would send to let me know that IU was far better than Purdue (and not just at sports), our lunches and the afternoons we spent driving down to the RCA tennis tournament in his prized Cadillac.Gil was truly a gentlemen in every sense of the word and I will always love him for that and for being lucky enough to call him my friend. His loss will be felt for years to come. Thanks for sharing this wonderful man Jeannine!"
"Jeannine: So sorry about your loss as well as ours.The ceremony was beautiful. All Best........Bill Ansted"
"Jeannine,Cindy,Eric We hope that your wonderful memories,the love of friends and family help sustain you through these difficult times. Gil was certainly a happy spirit and good friend. Sue and Bob Altum"
"To Jeannine, Cindy, Eric & family and friends;It was just like Gil- to throw his family and friends a party, so that things don't get too sad. It was so wonderful to see everyone and share in the great memories. It was so healing for me to be right there last night. Thank you Gil for that closure and for the great gathering. So many memories too - I saw several pictures of events you guys attended where our band played and you guys danced and danced! The Grand Soirre, St. Mary's, etc on and on. So many years. The truth is that we all are so sad to see him go but he deserved to not suffer anymore, as he embraced life with both arms stretched out. He had such a great quality of life and a life well-lived. Now he is part of our eternal community, just waiting for all of us to join him much later, after we all live our lives to their full purpose. God Bless him, I will miss him and really miss always running into him either at the 'Five' or wherever else he used to enjoy hainging out. I'll never forget what he did for my son and I after my husband tragically passed. He helped out countless hours and gave generously to help us. By now, Heaven is having quite a bash with all of our beloved friends and family that have passed recently. Maybe he will run into my Tom up there and share another laugh and a cocktail! Jeannine, please feel free anytime to email me with your #, as I can help with emotional support, as I have; sorry to say, been where you are now. Love you all,Lisa and Tommy"
" Our deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family during your time of loss. Gil was one of my father"
"DEAR ERIC, CINDY AND JEANNINE , MY WIFE AND I JUST HEARD THE NEWS TODAY. I AM SO TRULY SORRY. WE MET GIL ON A TOUR OF ITALY TOUR BUS TRIP 11 YEARS AGO AND BECAME FAST FRIENDS. HE WAS UNBELIEVABLE IN HIS CARING AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL. OUR COUNTRY HAS LOST A TRUE PATRIOT,HOW HE LOVED THE U.S.A. .I THINK GILL AT THIS TIME HAS ALREADY HAD A FEW CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ALMIGHTY ABOUT A FEW POLITICIANS. GOD BLESS HIM"
"Dear Cindy and Eric:Dad had kept us up to dad on your dad and many prayers were said for him and the family. As with mom we all reach the point where our continued hold must be released to allow those we love to go to a better place. I know mom was waiting for him to come just as she did for all those years for onening day at Churchill Downs. You dad was and always be a ray of sunshine in the lives he has touched and wish your families comfort for the time we had him in this time of loss.Love Mark and Kelly Gaston"
" The sun has set on a most extraordinary gentleman. Gil was a man who was kind, generous, thoughtful, and a gifted artist who brought joy to everyone he touched. He never hesitated to send a personal note or photograph to show how much he cared and enjoyed his friends. I am blessed to have known him and sad at his passing. That being said, no one will ever forget the endless ways he showed he cared. God Bless you, Gil."