Richard Lapham Gilbert Jr., 95, of Princeton, N.J., was born in Schenectady, N.Y on October 5, 1916 and passed away on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, at his residence.

He was a 1938 graduate of Cornell University earning a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry. He worked in research and development for American Cyanamid from 1938 to 1982. He was transferred from Stamford, CT to Princeton in 1962. In both locations he headed groups working on product and process development.

Mr. Gilbert was elected a member of the Greenwich, CT representative town meeting in 1941, and was a founding member, and later president, of the Greenwich Association for Retarded Citizens in 1950.

In Princeton he worked for many years on the budget committee of the Princeton United Way, chairing the committee from 1974 to 1977. He was awarded the Lambert Award in 1977 and was president of the board of directors of the Princeton United Way in 1979. He served on the board of directors and as treasurer of the Family Services of Princeton and on the board of directors of the Princeton Senior Resource Center. Mr. Gilbert was a deacon at the Nassau Presbyterian Church and was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels for five years.


In retirement Mr. Gilbert operated a small business called Bird in Hand, for which he carved and painted birds to be sold at craft and wildlife art shows. He enjoyed cooking, sailing his boat in Barnegat Bay and Long Island Sound, and walking the woods with his dog. He loved listening to Beethoven's music most of all.

Mr. Gilbert is predeceased by two wives, Alice Elliot Belding and Elizabeth Mather Bartlett. He is survived by three sons; Richard Belding Gilbert, of Turnersville, N.J., Bryan Vandermore Gilbert of West Linn, OR, and John Elliott Gilbert of Southbury, CT, and a daughter Ruth Gilbert Wall, of Salem, MA. He was the grandfather of three; Rachel Rae Gilbert of Las Vegas, NV, Miranda Wall Wakeman of Vancouver, WA and Daniel Gilbert Wall, of Portland, OR.

A memorial service will be held at the Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ, on Jan. 2, 2012 at 1:30 PM. Interment of his urn will be held at 1:00 PM at Princeton Cemetery, 29 Greenview Ave., Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the The Association of Retarded Citizens of the United States (thearc.org), 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006.