Linnie Gilbert Obituary

Linnie Vanice Gilbert
April 2, 1927 – July 13, 2025
Linnie Vanice Gilbert passed away peacefully on July 13, 2025, at the age of 98. A memorial service will
be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at Mulkey-Bowles-Montgomery Funeral Home in
Denton, Texas. Vanice was born on April 2, 1927, in Bonita, Texas, to James Holland Ayres and Bertie Ann Ayres.
She married Calvin Gilbert in June 1944, and they were married for 64 years until his passing in 2014. Vanice graduated from Bonita High School and went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree from North Texas
State Teachers College (now the University of North Texas) and a Master's Degree from Texas
Woman's University. She was a passionate and dedicated educator, teaching at numerous schools including Sunset and Lone
Star in Montague County, Little Elm in Denton County, and Irving in Dallas County. Vanice was one of
the first teachers at The Selwyn School and played a key role in organizing the Lower School. She
worked at Selwyn for 18 years, including 11 years as Director of the Lower School, from 1972 to 1987. After Selwyn, she taught kindergarten at Newton Rayzor Elementary in Denton, where she retired
after 40 years in education. Upon retirement, she said she loved teaching just as much the year she
retired as the year she began. Vanice and her husband Calvin helped organize and establish Asbury United Methodist Church in
Denton. While at Asbury, she was active in the Women's Society of Christian Service. Later, she became
a member of First Methodist Church and remained a member until her death. She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister and brother-in-law, Ruel and Velda Lou Cannon;
her step-granddaughter, Kami; and her beloved husband, Calvin. Vanice is survived by her two daughters, Linda, and Nancy and her husband Paul; four grandchildren:Stephanie, Amanda and her husband Miguel, and James and his wife Joana; and Jeff Hunter. Ten great-grandchildren:Brady, Payton, Jaron, Lilly, Ava, Logan, Robert, Aiden, Taran, Vivian, and Bryson; two great-great grandchildren: Ellie and Nash; and a nephew, James, and his wife Melissa. She was dearly loved and admired by her children and all of their children. Vanice's legacy lives on in the lives she touched through the students she guided, the children of her
friends, and the family she poured her heart into. She lived with grace, taught with passion, and loved
without condition. Her home was a place that they all could call home. She leaves behind a family who adored her, and a lively tribe of great-grandchildren who made her eyes
sparkle every time they came to visit. Though she has stepped gently into eternity, the imprint of her
love remains steady, kind, and strong.