| Subject: |
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Re: Bert Kilbride Passes |
| Name: |
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Ellen |
| Date Posted: |
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Jan 8, 08 - 5:23 PM |
| Website: |
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http://bertkilbride.com/guestbook.html |
| Message: |
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Below is a copy of the obituary that will be sent to the Sun-Sentinel.
HERBERT "BERT" KILBRIDE:
Herbert "Bert" Kilbride, age 93, died in Etna CA on January 8, 2008. He was born March 8, 1914 in Springfield MA, to the late Thomas and Sylvia Duquette Kilbride. Bert moved to South Florida in 1945 and was in the construction business. He moved to St. Croix, USVI, in 1956 and moved to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in1964, living there until 2005.
Bert called himself the Last Pirate of the Caribbean! He has been a diver for almost a century and a treasure seeker for over 5 decades. He was an inventor, a builder, a contractor, and an entrepreneur. He had bought and developed two barren islands and owned a SCUBA diving tour business for 30 years. In the 1960's he created the "Resort Course" for the beginners interested in SCUBA diving. It is now taught worldwide under the name "Introductory SCUBA Course." In 1987 he was awarded the NOGI Award for SPORTS/EDUCATION for the creation of the resort course. He was made the "Receiver of Wrecks" by Queen Elizabeth in 1967 and called a "Pirate" by others in the BVI Government when he would not produce a map of the shipwrecks he had found on Anegada Reef (138 wrecks). In the 1990's, the governor of the BVI called him a "Living Legend" in his speech on the radio. In 2004, for his 90th birthday, Guinness Book of World Records proclaimed him the "Oldest Scuba Diver" in the world.
Bert is survived by his wife, Gayla, his sons Gary, Burt, Michael, Patrick (wife Linda), James (wife Susan), Tyrel Kilbride and step-son, Dan Valls; daughters, Ellen Christopher and Jeanie Mesler; grandchildren Patrick, Christina, Kathleen, Maureen, Ryan (wife Catlin), Katie, Jacob, Shaun and Dylan Kilbride, Lloyd Christopher, Bryan and Kimberly Mesler and Kelly (husband Jorge) Nunez; great-grandchildren Ben Vennard, Brianna Marshall, Spencer Christopher, Sean, Christopher and Kailyn Nunez; his brother, George Kilbride; and his sister, Sylvia O'Connor. He is further survived by numerous nieces and nephews and their families, other relatives and many friends. In addition to his parents, his brother Everett preceded him in death. There will be no funeral service. There will be a Celebration Of His Life held on March 9 in the South Florida area. For further information regarding the Celebration, send an e-mail to BKilbridefamily@aol.com
In lieu of flowers, a donation to The BVI Humane Society, PO Box 190, Road Town, Tortola BVI would be appreciated. Visit their website:
http://www.bvihumanesociety.org.
Regards, Ellen |
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