Carl E. Gebhardt Sr., 82, an Alamogordo a resident since 1977 passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, September 16th, 2021.
He was born on October 3rd, 1938 in Monroe, WI to Ernest and Mary (Bowers) Gebhardt.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Ruth Gebhardt; son, Carl Jr. (Diane) and their two sons, Nicholas and Dylan; daughter, Anita (Al) Berghold and their two daughters, Kathryn (Ethan) Moheit and Holly; daughter, Susan (Brian) MacWilliams and their three children Shaina, Joshua, and Krista; his brothers, Ernest Jr., John (Betty), Rudy (Linda) and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Mary Gebhardt.
While he was in High School, he served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard for two years.
In January 1960 Carl enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He became an aircraft Mechanic serving at bases in Florida, Germany, New Mexico, Arizona, Vietnam, North Dakota, then back to Germany, and then New Mexico again with a 1 year remote in Korea.
While stationed in Germany the first time, he had a chance to visit relatives in Switzerland including his grandmother. That is when he met his wife Ruth (his interpreter) in July of 1961; two years later they were married on July 6th, 1963 in Grosshochstetten, Switzerland.
After 20 years in the Air Force, he retired as a MSgt and decided to stay in Alamogordo, NM. He continued to work on the base for AAFES as a maintenance technician for 18 years.
In retirement, Carl and Ruth traveled extensively across the United States and the world. When not traveling, they volunteered with ELCA Mission Builders in Fond Du Lac, WI, Eagle Pass, TX, and Ontario, OR.
Carl really enjoyed working with other volunteers on building projects for the Lutheran Ministry. He was also very active with Our Savior Lutheran Church helping where he could.
Family was very important to Carl, he loved getting the family together, especially for the holidays.
He really enjoyed fishing and classic cars; he was a member of the Golden Gears car club, and a lifetime VFW member.
A memorial service to celebrate Carl’s life will take place Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 at 2 pm at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1212 Washington Ave, Alamogordo, NM.
In Lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Our Savior Lutheran or to the Alpha-1 foundation.
We want to thank everybody for their Kindness and Friendship during this difficult time.
The Gebhardt family has entrusted their loved one to the care of Alamogordo Funeral Home to direct arrangements.
