Gilbert Roy Letner

Gilbert Roy Letner of Falmouth, Kentucky passed away at his home on Tuesday morning, April 9th, 2024 after battling a long, hard fought illness; he was 89 years old. He was born in Helenwood, Tennessee on Wednesday, June 27th, 1934 to the late Carrick and Truie Letner. In addition to his parents, Gilbert is preceded in death by his wife Phyllis Roberts Letner; a sister, Myrtle Moore; and his brother, Jimmy Ray Letner.

At the age of 6, Gilbert’s father, Carrick, passed away and by the age of 12 his mother, Truie, passed as well. At 14, Gilbert left home to work, lying about his age in order to gain employment at the railroad in East Liverpool, Ohio. For two years straight he diligently worked days at the railroad and nights at a nearby factory until at the age of 16, once again making himself out to be older than he actually was, he enlisted in the United States Navy at the height of the Korean War conflict. Gilbert served his country for over 3 years, nearly all of which were spent abroad and at sea, until his honorable discharge from the military in June of 1955 after being awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal.

Following his time in the service, Gilbert, an incredibly tireless worker all his life, worked a number of factory jobs, eventually retiring from Equitable Bag in Florence, Kentucky after 16 years there as a machine operator. Having left home at such a young age to make a living and forgo his education, Gilbert proudly received his GED later in life at the age of 68. For much of his life he worked as a “part-time farmer” raising livestock that included cows, chickens, and goats. Though in the wise words of his son: “There’s no such thing as a part time farmer, a true farm requires work that needs to be done every single day.” One of Gilbert’s great joys in life was cooking breakfast for him and his son Michael every weekend, filling the table with eggs, biscuits & gravy, oatmeal, and sweet rice. A great lover of history and someone that could talk to anybody about anything, this humble, hardworking man will be dearly missed by his heartbroken family.

On October 4th, 1975, Gilbert married the love of his life, Phyllis, spending the next 40 years of their lives together until her passing in December of 2015. Phyllis’ first husband insisted that she get a job at a bar on 3L Highway in Covington as a bartender, a bar that Gilbert frequented. While at the bar, Gilbert would often ask her out and she would refuse, telling him that she was married. He always jokingly replied to her “I get what I want eventually.” As time went on, he would often come to the bar to see Phyllis, always intentionally playing the song, “Hello Love” by Hank Snow on the juke box to get her attention. After months of this attempted juke box serenade, Gilbert came to the bar one night at closing to announce to Phyllis “I’m going to California! Do you want to go?.” Again, she told him no, and Gilbert soon left for the golden state by himself. A few days later, Phyllis’ husband abused her; without a second thought she bought a plane ticket to California to join Gilbert, and the rest is history. “Her husband forcing her to work at that bar was for the best for both of us!”

Gilbert is survived by his adoring children: Michael (Shannon) Letner of Falmouth, Kentucky, Billy Rae (Sandy) Letner of Dry Ridge, Kentucky, and Gail Baker of Crittenden, Kentucky; as well as his sister, Macle Mosley of Corbin Kentucky. He leaves a lasting legacy of numerous cherished grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A visitation for Gilbert will be held at the Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home in Williamstown, Kentucky on Monday, April 15th, 2024 from 11:00AM to 2:00PM. Following the visitation, a funeral service beginning at 2:00PM will be held at the funeral home, officiated by Brother Milkweed Wotier. That afternoon following the funeral service, Gilbert will be laid to rest alongside his beloved Phyllis at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Williamstown, Kentucky.