Gilbert W. Stamper, Jr. died on Friday 12/20/24, three days shy of his 82nd birthday. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Margaret, who he loved deeply; and their two daughters, Rosann and Elizabeth, both of whom are more like him than they want to admit. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, W. Scott Smith, Jr, who he counted as a friend, and his family (wife Marlean, their sons and grandchildren). Gil grew up in North Carolina, and went to college at NC State. There he met Margaret and sometimes DJd for the campus radio station. Before he finished his studies, he enlisted in the US Navy. He spent the next 20 years traveling the world with his family. They lived in six foreign countries and three US states during that time. He built and maintained communications equipment, learning new technologies as they developed. He retired from the Navy in 1984 and they moved to Calvert County. He worked for government contractors on communication projects, most of which he wasn’t allowed to talk about. He was part of the team that modernized White House communications in the mid 90s. He and a colleague then developed a vehicle that would allow multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement and other agencies to directly communicate with each other during natural disasters and national emergencies. The team built the trucks, and trained National Guard teams in every state to use them; the vehicles have been used many times. Gil was an avid reader, photographer, and enjoyed woodworking. He had a wicked sense of humor, and couldn’t resist a bad pun. He had a stroke in 2022, and had been a resident at the Charlotte Hall Veterans’ Home since April of 2023. His family thanks the staff there, especially his care team and all the staff on Ward 2B for their kind and compassionate care for him since then