Edward was the only child of Douglas Edward Gilbert(1916-2009) and Ruth Adelaide Gilbert, nee Harrison (1922-1975). Born in Willowdale, Ontario he later lived with his parents in Oak Ridges and Aurora, Ontario. In the 1950's he moved to Richmond Hill, Ontario where he attended the Walter Scott Public School; graduated from Bayview Secondary School 1968 with high honours; graduated as a Civil Engineering Technologist from Seneca College 1971 with high honors. Worked in the Engineering Department of Bell Canada until 1974 at which time he took a two year leave of absence to complete his education. He graduated as a Civil Engineer, with high honours, from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario 1975 and was registered as a Professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario.
Edward returned to Bell Canada and worked his way up in the companies Engineering and Technology Development departments, working in Toronto, Ontario and living with his parents in Richmond Hill. When his mother died in 1975 he continued to live with his father. In 1981 Edward was transferred to Thunder Bay as Supervising Engineer to head up the Planning Department for Northwestern Ontario. In 1983 his father moved to Thunder Bay to live with his son. In 1985 Edward resigned from Bell Canada to persue other interests. During the remainder of his working career he was President of Nor Ont Properties, a land development and property management company; President of Quality Homes, a general contracting company, and President of Superior Building Supplies, a retail building material company. Edward retired in 1998.
From 1998 onwards Edward devoted his life as a researcher and writer of articles and books. His Canadian subjects included such topics as the History of Shipping on the Great Lakes and the History of the Thunder Bay Fire Department. He was a contributor of historical information to the Richmond Hill Historical Society and to the Thunder Bay Museum. His great passion was researching and writing articles about the history of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, a place in which three generations of his family had lived and from where his branch of the family moved to Canada from in the 1920's. Edward created a website (www.allabouttunbridgewells.com)on which he posted his articles and had many articles published in various magazines, journals and newsletters in England, such as Postcard Monthy, This is Kent, The British Clematis Society, The Tunbridge Well Family History Society, and others. His work was held as a historical record by the Tunbridge Wells Reference Library, The Tunbridge Wells Civic Society and the Tunbridge Wells Museum. Edward was a prolific writer, having published several thousand articles since 1998. He became very well known and established a reputation as both a thorough researcher and excellent writer. He was a member of the Tunbridge Wells Family History Society and a contributor to their research activities. He was also a contributor to various books about the History of Tunbridge Wells such as The Shock of War, published November 2014.
In October 2014 Edward was presented with a Community Contribution Award by the Tunbridge Wells Civic Society for his website and work in researching and writing about the history of Tunbridge Wells. In his early years he enjoyed playing golf and his hobbies included model ship building, stamp collecting, and the restoration of antique automobiles. Later in life he enjoyed collecting antiques, postcards, old photographs, and memorabilia. Edward had a great sense of humour, was easy going, kind, thoughtful, generous, friendly and well liked. He had a keen mind and was well respected as a Civil Engineer, businessman and writer. He died in Thunder Bay, Ontario where he was cremated. His urn was buried in the family plot in the Aurora Cemetery between his mother and father. Edward never married and had no living family at the time of his death. Edward's grave maker was the same as his fathers and bears his name, dates of birth and death and the inscription " Our Loving Son".
