84-year-old Gilbert “Gib” Verkamp, of Jasper, Indiana, passed away at 2:35 am on November 26, 2023, at his Santa Claus home surrounded by family.
Gib was born in Huntingburg, Indiana, on May 4, 1939, to John and Wilhelmina (Schipp) Verkamp. He married Catherine “Kate” Hoffman on May 11, 1968, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Jasper. They were married for forty-four years before she preceded him in death on December 28, 2012. Following the death of his wife Catherine, Gib reconnected with a childhood neighbor, Rita Uebelhor, and they were married on February 28, 2015, at St. Meinrad Archabbey.
Gib was a 1957 graduate of Huntingburg High School and a 1961 graduate of Indiana State University. He retired as Chairman & CEO of MasterBrand Cabinets in 2000 after a thirty-two-year career with the company. Gib was a recipient of the Boy Scout Distinguished Citizen Award and an inductee into the Junior Achievement Dubois County Business Hall of Fame. He served as president of the Indiana State University Alumni Association and the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, as Board Chair of Freedom Bank and Indiana Furniture, and as a founding Board member of the Dubois County Community Foundation.
Surviving are his wife Rita Verkamp of Santa Claus; children Max (Jen) Verkamp of Jasper and Ann (John) Kvach of Huntsville, AL; grandchildren Lauren, Ryan, and Erin Verkamp and Ben and Tom Kvach; two sisters Virlee “Perk” Kreilein of Jasper and Sr. Mary Ann Verkamp, OSB of Ferdinand; one brother Bernard Verkamp of Vincennes; extended family Beth (Jarid) Hirt of Santa Claus, Don Alan (Roxanne) Snyder of Santa Claus, and Sara (Rich) Fischer of Evansville, their children and grandchildren. Preceding him in death are his parents, his first wife Catherine, his sister Sr. Mary Aquin Verkamp, OSB, and his brothers Robert Verkamp and Francis “Frank” Verkamp.
Funeral services for Gilbert “Gib” Verkamp will be held at 10:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Jasper, with burial to follow in Fairview Cemetery. Friends may call from 2:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at the Becher-Kluesner Downtown Chapel in Jasper or at 9:00 a.m. EST on Thursday morning prior to the Mass at St. Joseph’s. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Benedict, St. Meinrad Archabbey, or to a favorite charity. The family would like to express their appreciation for the kind and compassionate support of Heart-to-Heart Hospice.
Online condolences may be made to www.becherkluesner.com.
