Sally Gilbert

Sally Ann Gilbert (Brinkman), age 92, passed peacefully on Tuesday August 18th, 2026 at her Edgewood care home in Brainerd, MN with her family at her bedside.

Sally was born January 28th, 1934, to William Brinkman and Rose Brinkman (Klemmer). Sally was the 6th of nine children and was born in the family farmhouse, in the town of Farming, Minnesota! The original brick farmhouse at 25612 County Road 23 is still standing and in use! In June of 2024 the family brought Sally to visit her place of birth and home for her first eight years. As we were driving north on County 23 she stated “Oh – there is the neighbors, and there is the farmhouse, and behind it is the summer kitchen, where Mom used to cook in the summer to keep the heat out of the house!” Our family was amazed at Sally’s recall of the farmhouse, 82 years later, especially when Sally was entering her second year of full time “memory care”!

The Brinkman family included Ursula (1926), Valeria (1927), Cleo (1928), Margaret (1931), Al (1932), Sally (1934), Gib (1938), Orville (1941), and Billy (1942). The Brinkman family worked the farmstead until early-1942, raising crops and milking dairy cows. Sally talked fondly about her early childhood on the farm and helping with the many farm chores. Sally’s incredible work-ethic she carried throughout her life (and expected of her own family) was certainly instilled in her in those early years on the farmstead.

The Brinkman family settled in St. Cloud Mn after leaving the farmstead. Sally enjoyed and excelled at school. She often told the story of asking her father William to be allowed to continue past the 8th grade and attend High School. This was not common! Well, Sally must have been very persuasive even as a youngster, as she convinced her father to allow her to go to High School instead of heading to work! Sally attended Cathedral High School in St. Cloud and very proudly graduated in 1952. Sally’s graduating class at Cathedral High included Marlin Huiras, who later became Sally’s brother-in-law and close friend of her future husband Max Gilbert. Max also attended Cathedral High School, graduating a year ahead of them both in 1951.

After high school, Sally moved to the “Cities” (Minneapolis area) and worked for four years for the “Paper Supply Company” while adventuring with her friends and roommates. It was during this exciting time in the “City” that Sally met and started dating Max Gilbert. They had an immediate connection with both being from St. Cloud and graduating Cathedral High School! One of Max and Sally’s early dates was swimming at the granite quarries in St. Cloud where Max wowed Sally with his cliff diving and ability to hold his breath underwater, and Sally equally wowed Max, as he often said, “with her amazing beauty, especially in her 1950’s swimsuit!”

Sally and Max were married in St. Cloud on June 2nd, 1956, and began an incredible life together. They had five children from 1956 to 1968. After living in various homes around the Twin Cities, they bought a house on Violet Ave in Brooklyn Center in late 1963 where they lived and raised the family for over 27 years. Sally wrote that she “was a very busy homemaker during those years”. That is quite an understatement! Sally kept track of 5 kids coming/going, stressing the importance of school, and completing high school, reminding each of the kids that she had to fight to be allowed to go to school and it was something to be appreciated not taken for granted. Sally cooked incredible meals and sometimes added a little more salt to “spice it up”. Ruffed Grouse Dinners with Mashed potatoes, Venison Roasts with Mashed potatoes, Holiday Turkey with mashed potatoes, (yes there was a theme of meat/potatoes) and vegetables from her large garden behind the garage. Countless delicious fish fries with the favorite being “Cut and Gut” sunfish.

While raising the family Sally and Max loved to go “up-north” to the cabin. They went many weekends to Max’s father’s lake cabin on Webb Lake. First to the “Big Cabin”, and then to the “Little Cabin”. In 1975 Sally and Max purchased a cabin on Sand Lake that included 10 acres of land and nice lakeshore. The Sand Lake cabin became the new weekend home for the family, and many great memories were built. The cabin had a hand pump for water, a wood stove for heat, and a two-holer outhouse which was big-time luxury! Sally watched over the 5 kids and the family dog Ernie. She cooked and cleaned with water from the pump, with no air-conditioning in the cabin or the old Carry-All Truck. The family would stay late into the evenings Sunday to wait for the temperature to cool off, so the kids could sleep on the way home. Mom kept the family fed, watched over the swimming and boating activities, provided us with clean clothes, all while teaching us the importance of faith, hard work, kindness towards others, and gratitude for life. The family was in heaven under her watch.

In 1985 Sally and Max took a financial risk by purchasing a large plot of land/lakeshore on the South end of Sand Lake. Max and Sally had a vision that these lake properties could someday be transferred to family, following the tradition started by Max’s father on Webb Lake. This vision has turned into reality and Sally & Max were eventually surrounded by all their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren at both the Webb Lake and Sand Lake properties. Our families are forever grateful to Sally and Max for this vision and generosity – what an amazing legacy they created!

In 1989 Sally and Max’s Lake Cabin was moved to Webb Lake onto his Sister Eileen’s property, creating room for their dream home. Sally was deeply involved in the design and building of this home, providing the main concepts of a large family room and family dining area to the architect, and then being on-site with a tape measure daily during construction. After completion of the home, Sally and Max enjoyed over 32 years of living independently in “God’s Country” with the home being a focal point for the expanding family tree.

Sally had more time after the kids were grown up to enjoy her many hobbies. In Sally’s own words: “One of my favorite hobbies was people-watching, the kids call it staring”. Additional hobbies included a love and passion for cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, biking, card-playing including weekly cribbage tournaments at the YAH club, gardening, quilting, and being out-doors up north. Sally was part of a Lady friend group that for many years took an annual downhill ski trip to many different destinations including Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado. Sally loved cross-country skiing at the lake home, skiing alone in the back woods, into the Deep Portage Trails, and out and around the entire Sand Lake. She would put on her snowsuit, hat and scarf, and head out in zero-degree weather to enjoy the beauty and solitude of winter in the woods. Sally’s farm-raised German-heritage toughness was on full display when one of her trips into the woods was cut short by a fall going down a hill resulting in multiple broken bones in her foot and ankle. With darkness coming on and cell phones not invented yet, she managed to get her skis off, and scoot on her butt up the hill and all the way back to the car and drive back home with her good foot! A few metal plates, some bolts, some physical therapy, she was back out skiing for many additional years, although from that point on she always said, “I walk down the big hills!”

Incredibly in her late 70’s and early 80’s she joined her daughters and daughter in law on annual fall bike rides, exploring the many bike trails, small towns and restaurants throughout MN and enjoying the companionship during these trips.

Sally and Max lived independently at their lake home until Max turned 90 and Sally was 89. After some health issues for the two of them and the realization that their great minds were being affected by the impacts of aging, Sally and Max reluctantly agreed that they should move to a facility that offered the help they needed. In August of 2023 they moved together into Edgewood in Brainerd. After Max passed, Sally continued to receive great care at the facility and she made an impact on the many staff and residents she interacted with, maintaining grace, dignity, and a sense of humor that she happily shared with everyone she met.

Throughout her entire life Sally carried a deep faith in God and the teachings of the Christian Church, especially enjoying the music of Mid-Night Mass on Christmas Eve.

Sally was preceded in death by her husband Max, her parents William and Rose; her Siblings Ursuala, Valeria, Cleo, Margaret, Al; and her grandson Joshua Gill. Sally’s memory will be forever cherished by her family, including her Brothers Gib (Carol), Brinkman, Orville (Judy) Brinkman, Billy (Carol) Brinkman; her Children Charlie (Jody) Gilbert, Susan Gill, Cindy (Craig) Peppe, Linda (Dan) Thomas, Danny (Sue) Gilbert. Grandchildren Nick Gilbert, Lonnie (Heidi) Gilbert, Amber Gill, Hank (Katja) Peppe, Madolyn Zeleny, Neil (Angie) Thomas, Kyle Thomas, Ryan Thomas, Luke (Beth) Gilbert, Sara Gilbert. Great-Grandchildren Abigail Rose Gilbert, Jayleigh Renae Nanez, Lennox Maximus Gilbert, Layton Wesley Gilbert, Lovey Presley Gilbert, Maci Rose Peppe, Chelsea Renee Zeleny, Brantley Gilbert Zeleny, Layla Luu Thomas, Decker Daniel Thomas, Maverick Max Thomas, Rocco Ryno Thomas, and Callan D Gilbert.

Sally and Max were long contributors to the Alzheimer’s association and local food shelves among many other charities. Please consider donating to these important causes in lieu of any gifts or flowers to honor Sally’s memory.

A celebration of Sally’s life is planned for Saturday, October 3rdth, details below:

Date: Saturday, October 3rd

Times: 10:30–11:30 Visitation, 11:30-12:30 Celebration of Life, 12:30-1:30 Luncheon provided

Location: Halverson-Talyor Funeral Home, 512 South 8th Street, Brainerd, MN 56401