Gilbert died in DeLand, Florida, at the age of 74. He left a widow, a son and a daughter. In its obituary "The Times" said, "Small, with rimless glasses and a little moustache. he sometimes seemed like an animated mouse in performance, but in the orchestral world he had a giant reputation." A memorial was created in the form of the Gilbert Memorial Endowment Fund administered by the Florida Flute Association (FFA). The fund gives financial grants to performers and teachers to help them with further study.