Don Gilbert, 87,died Friday, September 25, 2015 in Dalhart, TX.Funeral Services were held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at Central United Methodist Church with Rev. Steve Patterson, Pastor, officiating.Burial followed in Memorial Park Cemetery, Dalhart, TXDonald Earl Gilbert died in Dalhart, Texas, on Friday, September 25, 2015, at the age of 87. He was born on a farm in Blue Ridge, TX, to Jesse and Nina(Purdue) Gilbert on November 27, 1927. He joinedthe Texas State Guard when he was only a junior in high school. While still attending high school he volunteered for the Army Specialized Training Program and, upon graduation from Marlin High Schoolin 1945, he was sent by the Army to Texas A&M to study engineering. While at A&M he volunteered for another Army program and was ultimately selected as part of the highly secret security detail on the Los Alamos Manhattan District Project - the atomic bomb. After the war he was sent to Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and was honorably discharged from the Army. He enlisted in the Army Reserve before he left Ft. Bliss.Don then attended SMU where he met his future wife, Nora Lynn Spencer. In May 1951, he was recalled to active duty and was sent to Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) School in Ft. Holabird, MD. Immediately upon completion of the CIC program, he took30 days' leave and went to Dalhart to marry his sweetheart. He was assigned as an investigative agent at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, then as head field agent in Juneau, and later transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In all, he served two tours of duty spanning 11 years and left the service in 1957 as a Master Sergeant. Don, Lynn, and their two young children, Doug and Lea Ann, then returned to make their home in Dalhart.In 1958 Don bought an interest in the Mission Theatre and El Rancho Drive-In, which he owned and operated for 40 years. During that time, Don and Lynn welcomed their third child, Linda. While operating the theaters, he also purchased the Mission Auto Supply, which he owned and operated for 20 years. In 1981 he closed the El Rancho Drive-In and built the El Rancho Mobile Home Park in its place. Don was a member of Central United Methodist Church and many civic organizations over the years. He served as President of the Jaycees, President of the Lions Club, Director and President of the Board ofDirectors of the XIT Rodeo and Reunion, and President of the Board of Directors of the Dalhart Country Club. He was also on the Board of Directors of Dalhart Federal Savings & Loan for 40 years, and servedas Chairman of the Board for several years. Don was honored as the Grand Marshal of the XIT Parade in 2010, and was again honored as Dalhart's 2012 Citizen of the Year.Don is survived by his wife of nearly 64 years, Lynn Gilbert, of Dalhart; son Retired Lt. Colonel Douglas Gilbert and wife Melinda of Lansing, KS; daughter Lea Ann Scholfield and husband John of Huntington Beach, CA; daughter Linda Puckett and husband Keith of near Syracuse, KS; grandchildren Kimberly Gilbert) Bristol, Michael Naddor, Keith McKean, Kathleen Gilbert, Sean Gilbert, Natalie Scholfield; and one great-grandchild, Wynter Bristol. Open visitation will be held at Horizon Funeral Home in Dalhart on Monday and Tuesday. A celebration of Don's life will be held in Dalhart on Wednesday, September 30, at 2:00 p.m. at Central UnitedMethodist Church. Interment to follow at Dalhart Memorial Paark Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Building Fund at Central United Methodist Church, or other Dalhart charity such as Meals on Wheels, the Dalhart Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund, etc.