Gilbert L. Stroker, 91, of Pittsburgh PA went home to Our Lord on Thursday September 8 th , 2022.Gil was born on March 19 th , 1931, in Pittsburgh, PA to Louis Stroker and Helen (Bujnowski) Stroker and was raised in the South Side of Pittsburgh, PA. He is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years Arlene (Sedor) and four children, Scott (Brenda) Stroker, of Southern Pines, NC; Dean (Coleen) Stroker of BlueRidge, GA; Pam (Nick) Cocilova of Hudson, FL, and Gwen (James) Barone of Moon Township, PA.He is also survived by his 11 grandchildren, Shawn (Jeny) Stroker; Ava (Eric) Burrus; Laura (Kenneth) Pfeiffer; Aaron Stroker; Nicholas (Laura) Cocilova; Sara (Todd) Raley, Austin Stroker; Emily Cocilova; Alyssa Stroker; Samantha and Hunter Barone. Gil was also blessed with six great grandchildren, Lily, Zoey, and Riley Burrus; Troy and Eli Pfeiffer; and Trip Raley. He is also survived by his brother in-lawsMike Sedor and John (Denise) Sedor, his niece Linda (Robert) Salicce, nephew Daniel Borowski and his sister Karyn Jones.

Gil was very proud to serve as Staff Sergeant and a tank commander in the Marine Corps during theKorean War.

Gil will be remembered by his oldest son, Scott, for the many lessons Gil taught to all his children over the years – finishing your chores on Saturday morning before friends, or asking what the priest’s homily was about, or, if your shoes are not polished, the man looks unkept; lessons that were difficult to appreciate at the time. The four siblings’ father would never miss any opportunity to instill in his children the value of discipline and hard work, both as their role-model and with persistent instruction and guidance. Regardless of their age, the same foundational principles of each lesson always applied, respect yourself and others, and always be your best. Yet, Gil will be most remembered by his fourchildren for his love for his children that was shown through his every action and word he spoke.

Gil and his second son, Dean, shared their mutual love of sports. Gil was a coach of many of his sons’ youth sports teams. His dedication to his sons’ development as athletes involved hours spent together honing skills and fostering sportsmanship. It was a priority for Gil to support all his children’s athletic interests, and he always offered encouragement and praise for their efforts. Gil and Dean enjoyed hunting and spent countless hours in the woods sharing heart-felt, one-on-one conversations, which created a loving, life-long bond between father and son. Diehard Pittsburgh sports fans, Gil and Dean would spend countless hours on the phone, analyzing calls and sharing their love of team and sport. The relationship Gil had with his son went beyond the father-son relationship, it was deeper and more personal – they were best friends.

Gil’s oldest daughter, Pam, believes she learned one of life’s greatest lessons from her father, that every parent must learn how to give…” tough love”.  During her college years, Pam suffered from anorexia. Pam remembers how Gil would wake her up at the crack of dawn so that he could watch her eat breakfast. At the time, Pam hated this, but she now understands that her father simply needed to know that she got food in her stomach every day. To ensure that his daughter would survive, to live. Pam knows in her heart that it is because of her fathers “tough love” that she is alive and happy today.

Gil’s youngest daughter Gwen shared her love of movies and the theater with her father. Gil fostered and believed in his daughter’s talent so thoroughly that he reminded her every Oscar night that “we could have been there”. Gil ensured that every one of his four children got an education and encouraged them to pursue their passions and taught them that they could do anything they put their minds to. Gil reminded them often that there is no such word as “can’t” in the Marine Corps, and he lived his life with this mindset until his final day.

People often ask Arlene, Gil’s wife “Liberace”, how they lasted 64 years of marriage, starting with very little, surviving layoffs, multiple surgeries, and facing life’s daily challenges. Arlene’s response is always, simply that “I loved him”.

Gil will be interned at the South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth Florida, following a Memorial Service on Friday September 23rd at 9:00am.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital,https://www.stjude.org/ or the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, https://www.marineheritage.org/