Virginia Merle Bennett Gilbert

Virginia Merle (Bennett) Gilbert, 95, of Abilene, passed away on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Funeral service will be on Friday, March 6, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. at Aldersgate Abilene Methodist Church, 1741 Sayles Blvd., with a burial to follow at Elmwood Memorial Park Cemetery, under the direction of Piersall Funeral Directors, 733 Butternut Street. Virginia Merle Bennett Gilbert, loving mother, wife, grandmother and compassionate nurse and caregiver, died March 1st, 2026, in Abilene. She was 95.

Services honoring her life are scheduled for Friday, March 6th, at 1pm, at Aldersgate United Methodist Church sanctuary, 1741 Sayles Blvd., under the direction of Piersall Funeral Directors, 733 Butternut Street, with burial to follow at Elmwood Memorial Park.

Born Sept. 4, 1930, in Stamford, Texas, Virginia was the second of three daughters of David Stribling Bennett and Alma Lois (Lyon) Bennett, both descendants of early Texas pioneer families.

She lived in Stamford until she was 11, when with the establishment of Camp Berkeley and the grow it brought, the family moved to Abilene where her father handled distribution of the Fort Worth Star Telegram. She attended North Junior High School and Abilene High School, graduating in 1948.

Virginia and her sisters, Lou Jean and Gloria, were each 18 months apart in age and shared many friends and memories, along with younger brother, David Jr. She adored her siblings and remained close to them throughout her life.

Virginia attended summer school at the University of Colorado in Boulder and then returned to graduate from Texas Christian University's Harris School of Nursing in 1952, earning a perfect score on the nursing license exam.

Several of Texas' first female physicians encouraged her to apply to medical school but true to her selfless nature she preferred working with patients at the bedside. She developed a particular compassion for underprivileged patients in her first professional nursing role with the Tarrant County Public Health Dept.

In 1953, she returned to West Texas to work as an RN at Anson General Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Knox Pittard.

On weekends, she attended St. Paul United Methodist Church in Abilene where she met the love of her life, Julian Jefferson Gilbert. Julian, 13 years her senior, had serving in the US Air Force in Europe during World War II, before returning to complete his degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas.

Much to the surprise of their families and friends these two very deliberate and conscientious people were engaged within three weeks. They married April 23, 1955, at Fairmont Methodist Church in Abilene and were married more than 50 years until his passing in 2006.

The Gilberts were among the first couples to attend Aldersgate Methodist Church when it was established in 1950.

The couple had four children, all born at then Hendrick Hospital, where Virginia would eventually return to nursing in ICU, working there for a decade.

Family and loved ones were always her first priority, so after leaving hospital nursing she continued to be the caregiver who showed up during any illness, remaining at bedside for days and holding the hand of many loved family and friends in their last moments.

Virginia is survived by her children and their spouses: Gordon Alan Gilbert (Susie) of Las Vegas, Nevada; Amy Gilbert Hocking (Bill) of Abilene; Gail Scruggs-LeFebvre (Marc), also of Abilene; and by a sister Gloria Bennett Robertson of Dallas. She is also survived by and nine grandchildren whom she adored: Aaron Hocking (Rebecca), Brittany White (Matt,) Daniel Hocking (Anne), Anna Hocking, Hayden Jordan (Jaxon), Jo Beth Stegemoeller (Brannon), Jake Scruggs, Jema and Ira Gilbert.

Those wishing to honor her life of caring compassion may do so through memorial gifts to Samaritans Purse www.samaritanspurse.org