George "Don" Donald Gebhart

George Donald “Don” Gebhart, 89, of Forest, Virginia, passed away on July 30, 2026. He was the devoted husband of Joyce Brossart Gebhart for 65 years.

Don was born on October 16, 1936, in Covington, Kentucky, a son of the late George Serian Gebhart and Mary Lienmiller Gebhart. Don honorably served his country in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Don was active in his community; he was a past Grand Knight for the Knights of Columbus and continued to be a member after many years and was an active parishioner of St. Thomas More Catholic Church. He volunteered for many organizations including; Meals on Wheels of Greater Lynchburg, Habitat for Humanity, his church in many different capacities, and Centra Health.

As a young man, his wife would describe him as a caring and loving man. He enjoyed drawing and painting. He loved hunting with his loyal dog. He fished with his father. As he aged, he no longer enjoyed fishing so much as he took on the task of putting worms on the hooks for his wife, children and grandchildren. He loved to garden and spent many hours designing his yearly gardens. The past few years, he would sit outside in the sunshine, taking in the scenery and eventually falling asleep.

In addition to his wife Joyce, he is survived by his children: Regina Marie Burrows (John) of VA, Cynthia Rose Tarascio (Steve) of CT, George Anthony Gebhart (Carrie) of CT, Mary Christina Merritt (Brent) of AL, and Lisa Ann Pennington (Grayson) of VA, a sister Shirley Ann Lukey (Gary) of KY, sixteen grandchildren, and eleven great grandchildren. 

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. A Funeral Mass for Don will be held at 12:00 p.m. Friday, August 14, 2026, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church with Fr. John Christian as celebrant. A reception will follow at the church.

In lieu of flowers please consider making memorial contributions to the Special Olympics of Virginia 3212 Skipwith Rd. Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23294 in memo line of check indicate: “Area 24 Bedford County” or at www.specialolympicsva.org/get-involved/tributes-memorial-gifts or to the National Center for Healthy Veterans P.O. Box 74 Altavista, VA 24517 in memo line of check indicate: “Gebhart Memorial Gift” donorrelations@healthyveterans.org.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg is assisting the family.