Obituary of Alfred Leon Gubernat

Adventure is in their blood. The Gubernat family has a storied past and many titles describe them well. Alfred Leon Gubernat was born on September 17th 1930 and the moment his feet touched the ground they were destined to leave it. 1 of 7 siblings, Al would prove himself as a pilot, a builder, a father, a teacher, and so much more. His mother saw early that he had steady hands and paid strong attention to detail; so she began to push him towards being a surgeon. But Al, a sea scout by this time, had different plans. Alfred had no qualms about lying to the US Government to join the Marines at age 17 and ended up serving during the Korean War. Even though he was honorably discharged as an E-7, they could never truly get rid of him; after all, 'once a Marine always a Marine'. Putting his training and discipline to other uses; under the tutelage of his brother-in-law Alfred studied construction and masonry with his brother John until he was well versed enough to start his own business. Of course while he was working he always maintained the true heart of an adventurer. He yearned to touch the sky with his brothers. And so he learned how to fly from his brother, Casmir, and together with their brother John they built and flew a PT-22 "Ryan". The brothers seemed to do a lot together, after all 'once a Gubernat, always a Gubernat'. When Al joined the Marines, John joined the Marine Reserves, so it was only fitting that when John was a police officer, Al became an auxiliary police officer. The three brothers stuck together and even passed their skills to the next generation of pilots, outdoorsmen, and masons. Alfred was always 'On The Move', which was a fitting name for his boat as well. He taught his children, in-laws, and eventually grandchildren all he had to offer. To this day a river of adventure runs through our veins and the spirit of flight is always in our hearts – thanks to him. Alfred was a loving husband to the late Pauline Belohavek Gubernat, father to Alan Gubernat and grandfather to Scott Thomas. Alfred leaves behind his sister Irene; his two daughters Karen and Doreen; his grandchildren Christian Andrew, Gabriel Francis, Justin Matthew, Jesse Pierson; his son-in laws Peter Howe and Thomas Hogan; and many nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, December 5, 2015, 11:00am at Somerset Hills Memorial Park Chapel, 95 Mt. Airy Road, Basking Ridge, NJ. For further information please contact the funeral home at 908-766-0250. In lieu of flowers please make a donation In Memory of Alfred Leon Gubernat to the Salvation Army at www.salvationarmy.usa.org