And it is in this way that he died, after a long illness; suffocating,but always patrician.Gilbert came from an old industrial family going back centuries. Their factories were built on the battlefields where France confronted Germany – Alsace. Completely destroyed in two world wars, they were twice rebuilt in the same place due to a strong family attachment to the region. Gilbert was French, but Alsatian first. He also had two countries; France and Switzerland.

Our friendship was deep. It did not need fancy conversation or frequent meetings. We were formal and friendly. We could go without seeing each other for long periods, but our friendship never withered.
We met up again in Gstaad. He was remarried to Monica Sulzer, a true Swiss from Winterthur, just as he was a true Frenchman from Alsace.  They made a very fine couple, well-matched physically, always smart, but different in manner; he reserved, she outgoing. I recall them skiing, upright like two sticks, whilst others crouched in a vain effort to go faster. With skiing finished for the day, they both clambered into a tiny Fiat Panda 4x4, an astonishing sight given their height; how did they manage it - particularly getting out?
They were selected by the BBC for a TV program that featured couples who were representative of French business.  We were lucky enough to be at home in Belgium when this program was broadcast. They never mentioned it, but we saw them in their chateau at Niederbronn at the factory, or out shooting. On the screen they were just the same as in life, completely themselves, always natural.
During each of our last visits to Gstaad, I saw Gilbert a little weaker, his eyes still bright and clear as if apologizing for his failing body. These visits made my wife and I deeply sad.
To Gilberts’ children - as Monica already knows - I would like to say how proud I was to be counted amongst his friends.

By Paul Washer