George Gilbert "Gil" Pope

George Gilbert “Gil” Pope, 70, passed away on February 19, 2022 at Westerly Hospital in Westerly, Rhode Island. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his older brother, Dr. James N. Pope. A longtime resident of Narragansett, Gil was born on January 27, 1952 in Alexandria, Virginia to Ross P. and Jane N. Pope. He was a graduate of Randolph-Macon Academy in Front Royal, Virginia and attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg. An exceptionally talented musician, he also studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. A job transfer brought him to Rhode Island, where he spent most of his adult life. An avid fisherman, he opened Gil’s Custom Tackle in Wakefield, which he ran for years. In addition to being Wakefield’s resident fishing expert, he was an artist in custom rod-building. His custom rods were beautiful, and he sent one to former President George H.W. Bush for inclusion in the Bush Presidential Library collection. His fishing expertise led to an appointment by the Governor to represent Rhode Island on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), a body created in the early 1940s and approved by the U.S. Congress in 1942. The ASMFC coordinates the conservation and management of 27 nearshore fish species. Gil served on the ASMFC for several years as the private citizen member of the three-person Rhode Island delegation. The Chair of the group described Gil as a “very effective advocate” for Rhode Island. Gil’s other great love was music. He could play nearly any instrument he picked up and was particularly good at the guitar. He played with several individuals and groups in the Wakefield-Narragansett area, including the Ten Rod Ramblers, Rabbi Jack the Piano Man, Dave Frageorgia and with Dave Moretti as The Wingers. Gil was a great cook and a real character, in the best sense of the word. He could do any accent and loved jokes. Gil will be sorely missed by his surviving siblings, William Pope and Rebecca Stoeckert, by his nieces and nephews and by his many friends. Gil’s ashes will be buried at Preddy’s Creek Baptist Church in Barboursville, Virginia. Memorial donations in his name are welcome and may be given to Preddy’s Creek Baptist Church or any charity of choice. There will be a wake at the Avery-Storti Funeral Home in Wakefield, from 1:00 -3:00 pm on Saturday, February 26. A service will follow at 3:00 pm at Avery-Storti.