Gilbert "Gil" Morales

Gilbert "Gil" Morales Jr., 45, of Plantation, Florida passed away on June 19, 2018.The family will receive friends from 3:00 PM -5:00 PM on Saturday, June 23, 2018.A funeral service will be held at 5:00 PM at the funeral home. He is survived by his 12 year old Son Riley Morales, parents Maritza Labrada, Gilberto Morales, Sr.and his wife Claudia Morales, Brothers Albert, Alex, Sebastian, and Leo, Nieces Crystal and Alison, Nephew Logan, Grandmother's Ada Lantana and Bea Morales, and his Girlfriend Christina Groschel.  He proudly served with the Plantation Fire Department as a Lieutenant and will live on in the hearts of all those who loved him. Firefighters Say Goodbye to beloved Lieutenant   Plantation, FL: June 22, 2018: In the short time Gilberto Morales was with the Plantation Fire Department he achieved as much, if not more than most members archive in five years. On Saturday, members of the department will say goodbye to their brother, who everyone considered a friend. Gil Morales joined the Plantation Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter in October of 2014.  Upon completion of basic training he joined Station Three where he quickly became recognized as a go-getter and a trend-setter.  Gil not only maintained very high response percentages to emergency calls, but accrued some of the highest numbers of training hours, year after year. Gil’s love for the Fire Department was infectious.  The more he was involved, the more he encouraged others to be involved.  “After a long day at work, most people come home tired and just want to relax,” explained Station Three Captain Steven Blanchard. “You could always find Gil at the station, organizing drills, checking out equipment, or just hanging out with other members. Everyone would always rally around him.”  Due to his exemplary leadership skills Morales was given a Crew Chief assignment in 2016 where he was responsible for supervising a crew of firefighters. He managed to achieve this before earning his Driver’s certification, which is unheard of. His thirst for knowledge was insatiable.  He was promoted to Lieutenant at Station Three in 2017 and recently completed his Firefighter II certification. Gil was recently asked, by Chief Stearns, to step into the Acting Captain’s position while his Captain was in training for a Battalion Chief’s position.  With all of this and a full time job, Gil still found time for his son Riley.  The two were huge Panther fans and could always be seen at hockey games cheering on the Cats.  “He always had a smile,” said one of his fellow volunteers. “No matter how tough the situation was, Gil found a way to make everyone relax and even sometimes laugh.”Cremation arrangements by T. M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home 7001 NW 4 Street Plantation, FL 33317 954-587-6888 http://tmralph.com