Terry Lee Gilbert

Terry Lee Gilbert, 80, of Boise, Idaho, formerly of Twin Falls, Idaho, passed away August 30, 2026.

Our Terry Lee Gilbert, beloved husband of 57 years to Carolyn Gilbert and cherished father to Cy Gilbert (52, Boise) and Tavia Gilbert (49, Nyack, NY) was born September 15, 1945, in Myrtle Point, Oregon, the oldest of five children of Glenn Gilbert and Tharel Hollenbeck Gilbert.

In 1963, Terry moved to Idaho to attend Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, Idaho, where he earned his BA in Education and met his future wife, Carolyn Houts of Boise, whom he married in 1969. Terry and Carolyn started their careers as public school educators, first in Marsing and then Aberdeen, Washington, before returning to Nampa to start their family. Terry later earned his MA in Education at Northwest Nazarene University.

With Carolyn’s unwavering support, Terry devoted himself in professional and civic life to his church, the North Dakota and Idaho Education Associations, Rotary International, including a term as Rotary District Governor, and, in 2022, as the Democratic party candidate for Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

He was a passionate outdoorsman, a runner, mountain biker, and hiker in the desert surrounding Twin Falls, in the Sawtooth Mountains that he loved so deeply, and in Boise’s beautiful foothills. He was an avid reader of philosophy, theology, politics, and history, an inspiring speaker, a lover of puns, and the epitome of kindness, integrity, and wisdom.

After a three and a half year long journey through vascular dementia resulting from a January 2023 stroke, Terry died on August 30, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and cared for with devotion by Lighthouse Hospice and the staff at The Terraces of Boise. Dementia compromised his mobility and his cognition, but the way he navigated the last years of his life reflected the qualities that defined the whole of his existence: Terry was strong, brave, tender-hearted, and tenaciously maintained an inner light, wit, humor, and love for others until his final conscious moments. We adored him and miss him profoundly, but we will never forget him saying, “Nothing will dim my light," and will look for ways to shine his light through our lives, keeping his memory alive by emulating him.

A memorial service will be held, 10:30 am, Thursday, September 24, 2026 at First Congregational UCC, 2201 W. Woodlawn Ave., Boise, Idaho.

A second memorial service will be held, 3:00 pm, Sunday, September 27, 2026 at The Terraces of Boise, 5301 E. Warm Springs Ave., Boise, Idaho, 83716.

Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor, Garden City. 208-853-3131