 In the late 1930s Gilpatric was living and spearfishing in the French Rivieram where he 
influenced diving pioneers like Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Hans Hass to begin spearfishing.When his wife, Maude Louise Gilpatric, learned that she had breast cancer in July 1950, they decided to commit suicide together.While waiting for the diagnosis to be confirmed, they explored the confusing array of treatment options with multiple experts.