Gloria J. Crowther
November 4, 1955 – January 25, 2026
Gloria Dee Jensen Crowther was born on November 4, 1955, in Rupert, Idaho, the youngest of six children to Marco Elizabeth Gibson and Denzel Lovoy Jensen—solid Idaho stock, raised on faith, family, and an impressive quantity of creamed vegetables. Her senior year of high school took her to Richmond, Utah, where she graduated from Sky View High School in Smithfield, where she was named a Sterling Scholar—a move that set the stage for a life shaped by heartbreak and chaos, but one also anchored by faith, family, and even a few adventures.
She went on to graduate from Utah State University, where she met and fell in love with the bass-playing, coolest guy on campus, Jim Crowther, despite possessing a questionable hairdo and sideburns. There was no lightning strike—just kindness, friendship, and steady affection that grew into a deep, abiding love. She agreed to wait for him during his mission (waiting wasn’t hard), hoping they would marry when he returned. They did, on September 2, 1977, in the Ogden, Utah, temple, on a beautiful, sunny day.
Together, Gloria and Jim raised six children—five sassy, independent, beautiful, funny, compassionate, slightly unhinged, and sometimes feral, resilient daughters; and one strong-willed, tenacious, camouflaged, and country-loving son. And later, their family grew to welcome nine rambunctious and equally sassy grandchildren.
Names mattered. She chose each of her children’s names with care, meaning, and love, and she made sure we knew it. When Gloria and Jim opened their home as foster parents and joyfully adopted Kristopher, she simply smiled and said he already had the name they would’ve given him, proving he was meant to be a Crowther all along.
Gloria wore Elizabeth Arden Red Door perfume and painted our front door yellow. She had an exacting eye for detail and a deep appreciation for beauty. She thoughtfully decorated our home with prized antiques that evoked the Victorian style she loved. Every lace edge, every floral garland, and each carefully chosen piece reflected her belief that surroundings should feel intentional, welcoming, and lived in with love.
She had a tumultuous relationship with gravity, an impressive typing speed, spoke French, loved reading, watching movies—especially Gone With the Wind or North and South—and baking. Throughout her seventy years, she harbored a deep love for handicrafts and was especially gifted in tatting, crocheting, and knitting. Her hands were rarely still, and she generously shared the fruits of her labor—tatted baby booties, lovingly stitched blankets, and handmade clothing. Her mastery of tatting even led her to publish several books, helping preserve and pass on the beautiful, intricate art she loved.
Like her favored yellow roses, which symbolize warmth, friendship, and affection without pretense, Gloria loved her family and friends deeply—though receiving love herself was often a challenge. And when her health allowed, she found meaningful ways to serve quietly and sincerely.
She was a gifted musician with a voice that rivaled many Disney princesses, and she loved to sing and fill our home with music. Little-known fact: she also loved a good cause and believed no one should suffer alone. When we complained about minor inconveniences or teenage tragedies, she would offer her most efficient wisdom—delivered with perfect timing and zero sympathy: “Join the club.”
Many words describe Gloria—loving, difficult, unapologetic, scrupulous, artistic, gifted, misunderstood. She was a daughter, a sister, and an aunt, but to those of us who loved her most and will miss her always, she was a wife, a mother, a grandma, and a friend.
She stitched her life together with unwavering faith, creativity, family loyalty, and love—and though her hands are now at rest, she leaves us wrapped in a tapestry, one lovingly made, carefully measured, and quietly reminding us that details still matter.
Gloria is preceded in death by her parents, all five of her siblings, and her in-laws. She is survived by her husband, Jim Crowther (Caldwell), and her children: Amanda (Peter Nielsen, Caldwell, ID), Brittny (Beau Yancey, Pasco, WA), Aarika (Aaron Brinker, Kuna, ID), Ciara (Jason Bush, Huntsville, AL), Alexandria, and Kristopher (fiancé Hannah Brown, Conrad, MT), and her nine grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am Wednesday, February 4th at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse on 2300 Butte St in Pocatello, Idaho. Viewings will be held Tuesday evening February 3, 2026, from 6:00–7:00 pm and again on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, from 10:00–10:45 am She will be laid to rest at Malad City Cemetery in Malad, Idaho.