Hellmuth S. Gerbeth

Army

Beloved great-grandfather and WWII Medic Hellmuth S. Gerbeth passed away on May 4, 2020 due to complications from COVID-19 almost four months after a joyful family gathering celebrating his 100th birthday.

The only son of Franz Richard Gerbeth and Martha (Rhudorf) Gerbeth, he was born in Epmath, Germany on January 9, 1920. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 6 and grew up in the Bronx and New Jersey.

He served his country in the U.S. Army Air Corps from February 2, 1942 to until Nov 29, 1945 in Guam. During that time, he was in charge of a medical section and served for 8 months as a S Sgt in the Asiatic Pacific Theater with the 76 Air Service Group, 315th Bomb Wing, 20th Air Force. He was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal (AGCM), the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

On July 11, 1943 he married Anna Margaret Loy. They had two sons, Richard Gerbeth, Sr. (of Mahopac, NY) and Carl Gerbeth (of St. Johnsbury, Vermont), raising them in Dumont, New Jersey. He was a Teamster with Local 202, delivering produce by truck in New York City until his retirement in 1979.

A quiet and gentle man, he enjoyed his time in the great outdoors. Some of his grandchildren’s fondest memories are of learning fishing and target shooting at his side. Hellmuth said that one of the best times he ever had with his family was on a summer night in Rhode Island in a home near a river, catching fish as loved ones cooked and ate them.

He was a longtime fan of New York baseball. One of his favorite players was Phil Rizzuto, who noticed Gerbeth while he was on leave on a train in uniform and spoke with him for an hour about his experience in the service, also signing his leave pass.

He is survived by his sons, Richard’s wife Ann Gerbeth, his grandchildren Richard Gerbeth, Jr. and Peter Gerbeth, and four great-grandchildren: Ann, Garett, Derek, and Noelle Gerbeth.

He will be buried in George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey, next to his wife, who predeceased him in 1991.