Erika Gerbert

Opelousas- A Memorial Service will be held for Erika Martha Glaab Gerbert at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2019, in Sibille Funeral Home Chapel in Opelousas. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until time of service. Inurnment will follow in the Bellevue Memorial Park.

Erika Martha Glaab Gerbert was born on February 22, 1942 in Frankfurt, Germany and passed away on May 29, 2019 in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Erika immigrated to the United States in 1966. Knowing very little English, she worked as a nurse’s aide at Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma, Louisiana. She was married in 1974 and started a life there. In 1988, she moved to Opelousas with her family where she spent her remaining years.

She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend.  She was a doting grandmother, and a selfless caretaker who put everyone’s needs above her own. She often hosted or attended coffee klatches with her local German friends. Erika was the happiest when she was tending her garden and enjoying the koi fish pond in her backyard. She possessed a green thumb and could make any flower flourish. No matter where she lived, her gardens were the envy of the neighborhood. Often known as the “cake lady,” she enjoyed cooking and baking for her family and friends.

She is survived by her husband, Alton Gene Gerbert; children, Cristine Gowland, Andreas Gerbert and his wife, Nicki Gerbert and Michael Gerbert; three grandchildren, Bryan Gowland, Hannah Gowland and Ariya Gerbert; her sister, Gisela Bergeron; numerous nieces and nephews; and other close family and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Maria Walther Glaab; and her siblings, Manfred, Wolfgang and Margot Glaab.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to the Parkinson Research Foundation (5969 Cattleridge Blvd., Suite 100, Sarasota, FL 34232).

Words of Comfort to the family may be expressed at www.sibillefuneralhomes.com. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Sibille Funeral Home of Opelousas.