When I was a child, my father purchased a Gerber life insurance policy for me. Considering how old he was, he had been meaning to sign it over to me, but he passed away before he could. I am not even sure where to begin, let alone the policy number. It is a whole life policy with a fixed rate in cents.
I would be grateful for any advice! Oh, and since he was hospitalized for a month prior to his death, it is probable that he missed a few payments.
Sorry to hear about your dad’s demise! 
may his soul rest in peace. First, all you need to do is to contact Gerber Life Insurance and explain the situation. Give any information you have, such as the name of your father and the approximate date of the insurance. Without the number, the Gerber team should still be able to find out the specifics of the policy.
It will pass to his heir(s) through probate because it is a financial account just like any other. One more option exists. In reality, many infant plans were intended to become the insureds when the insureds reached an older age. The age at Prudential was fifteen. Thus, inquire with Gerber to see if there is a way to transfer ownership to you bypassing probate.
If there were any missing payments, that is awful. I believe this is the rationale behind the significance of autopay on some bills.
First, give Gerber Life a call, explain the circumstances, and make sure they have your father’s and your SSN on hand so they can look into any possible policies that might be in effect.