Gilbert Marquez

Gilbert Marquez, age 71, returned home to his Heavenly Father on Saturday, March 18th surrounded by his family. He was born in San Miguel, El Salvador on January 14th, 1952. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Guatemala and then immigrated to the US, where he attended BYU-Provo, and eventually he made his way to Rexburg, Idaho, where he met his loving wife of 40 years and raised his family.

Gilbert was a devoted and loving husband, father, hermano, tío, grandpa, and friend. His top priority was his family. He worked incredibly hard to provide and care for them. He and his wife, Lynda, built a beautiful life together with their children. They made their house a home that was full of love. He spent all his free time focusing on them—he took them to parades, fairs, farmers markets, and amusement parks, where he fearlessly rode all the roller coasters right along with the kids! He also enjoyed sharing the simple pleasures of life with them-Maverick runs for pop and yogurt samples in the tiny cups, apple fritters, fishing, just going for a drive, action movies (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger of course), creative cooking, trying out the latest tech gadgets, getting a good deal, and visiting with friends he would run into at the store while he was out and about. He became fast friends with anyone he met.

As the family grew, Gilbert welcomed two sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law with open arms and loved them as his own.

He loved spending time with his three grandchildren. He loved to visit and joke with them and showed how much he genuinely cared for them. They knew Grandpa Gilbert loved them dearly and they loved him, too. He was always so thoughtful and interested in their lives. He made sure he was there for birthday parties, playing games, making cookies over zoom (complete with chef hat), barbecues, baptisms, holiday celebrations, pumpkin patch visits, performances—always cheering them on.

His grand puppies loved him too. He showered them with affection and they could barely contain their excitement every time they saw him. The small pups especially loved to curl up on the couch right next to him or on his lap.

Gilbert loved visiting his mom, sister and nieces back east, going sight seeing, spending time at the beach, and eating the authentic food.

Gilbert loved plants and helping things to grow. He spent a lot of his time caring for his trees and flowers and would even transplant and nurture small saplings that grew from his larger trees to share with his kids for them to grow in their own yards. He put together beautiful planters full of flowers every spring for his wife to enjoy and meticulously cared for them. His green thumb was a reflection of just how nurturing and caring he was, he had a great love for life and living.

Gilbert was a joy and a light to everyone he met. His contagious laughter, twinkle in his eyes, a joke up his sleeve, and fun loving personality made him the life of the party. He lifted the spirits and warmed the hearts of everyone he knew. He was always in a good mood and truly lived in the moment and enjoyed every second he spent with his loved ones. The sound of his laughter will forever ring in our hearts. We all loved him beyond measure and will miss him dearly.

Gilbert is survived by his wife, Lynda Marquez, daughter, Jessica (Daniel) Barnes, daughter, Whitney (Jeff) Hess, Son, Brandon (Ariel) Marquez, daughter, Alyssa Marquez, grandchildren, Emmett, Emerson, and Marshall Barnes, sister, Ana (Israel) DeLeon, nieces, Vanessa and Brenda DeLeon. He is preceded in death by his mother, Fidelina Marquez.

There will be no services held as per his request. We will be having a celebration of his life in the summer when the grass is green and the flowers are blooming, just the way he wanted it.