We never spoke, but I liked Carl Gmoser and what he represented.

For three decades, Carl — who passed away Tuesday — was the patriarch of the first family of Asbury Summer Theater, a Tuckahoe institution for 32 years, until it closed down in 2007.

When his son, Andrew, took an interest in theater at age 17, Carl and his lovely wife, Lu, came along for the ride — and never left. Lu, who is a force of nature, was out front; Carl was the steadfast man behind the scenes.

John Orefice, who worked with AST and teaches at Pelham Memorial High School, said he was thinking of Carl all day today.

“He was such a quiet yet profound man,” John said. “There was this aura of goodness about him. Working at Asbury, where there was so much going on at once, he was always there to remind us that everything was going to be OK.”

“He was a great appreciator,“ John continued. “He appreciated the camaraderie of Asbury and the fellowship that surrounded that. When he was smiling, you knew you had a great production.”

I’ll remember Carl from the last time I saw him, at that last show, ”Our Time.” 

The final number was particularly bittersweet, as the cast sang “I’ll Be Seeing You” and deposited props and bits of costumes into a huge trunk and filed off the stage. After the stage was clear, with just the trunk at dead center, Carl entered from behind the curtain wearing a bright yellow AST sweatshirt, pushing a broom.

It was heart-rending for those who love community theater, the loss of yet another home, but it was entirely appropriate. The work is not done when the cast leaves the stage.

And Carl, it seems, was always the man with the broom, the man behind the scenes, quietly doing what needed to be done.

He was the silent G.

At the time, Andrew Gmoser told me: “This is the way to do it. To go off with dignity. Not ‘I wonder whatever happened to AST…’ Now, my parents can go off and enjoy their twilight years.”

That twilight for Carl was far too short. But somewhere, I like to think Saint Peter just picked up a man who knows how to handle a broom.

There is no wake, but there will be a memorial service on Saturday, May 2 at 5 at Asbury Methodist Church, 167 Scarsdale Road, Tuckahoe.