WATERVILLE – Thena S. Gilbert, 97, of Oakland, died at Thayer Hospital in Waterville on Sept. 26, 2005, after a short illness.

She was born on Heath Street in Oakland and lived in Oakland all her life. She had the distinction of being the oldest living graduate of Williams High School. Her parents, Robert Thomas “Tom” Sullivan and Catherine Ann “Annie” (Ludden) Sullivan raised seven children, four daughters and three sons, all predeceasing her.

A communicant of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, she was an active member serving as a CCD teacher, a lector, a eucharistic minister, a member of the Parish Council and a member of St. Theresa’s Guild. She also loved gardening, tending both a rock garden and a vegetable garden each year, and she also enjoyed her membership in the Oakland Garden Club.

One of the special treats of her life was when she won the grand prize on the television show, “Truth or Consequences,” hosted by Bob Barker, by guessing prizes behind seven different doors. She said she chose the number five because of her five children and continued on until she won the grand prize. Several of the larger prizes were given by her to friends in need.

The ultimate caregiver, she enjoyed doing helpful things for her friends and acquaintances. She once remarked at age 90, she thought the reason God had granted her a long life was to allow her to do something good for someone each day, a feat she lovingly accomplished.

She was very active in each of the businesses she and her beloved husband, Ronald W. Gilbert, who predeceased her in 1985, owned. Their first business venture was Gilbert’s Dairy which they owned for more than 20 years. During the time they managed the dairy they also purchased and ran the Oakland Boat House. Upon selling these two businesses, they purchased and ran R. W. Gilbert Inc., for many years. She also received her C.N.A. degree and worked the evening shift for many years at Thayer Hospital.

She enjoyed traveling until she became the proud owner of a miniature pinscher. Her traveling was greatly curtailed as she chose instead to stay close to home and enjoy the company of her tiny devoted companion, Dancer.

She was the mother of four daughters, Kay Bacon and husband, Otis, of Sidney, Beverly Baird of Ocala, Fla., Natalie Vogler and husband, Max, of Ocala, Fla., and Sherry Gilbert of Oakland; one son, Ronald “Terry” Gilbert of Oakland; 11 grandchildren (one predeceased); and 14 great-grandchildren.