With broken hearts and deep sadness, we must announce the death of our beloved Wayne Gilbert.
Wayne Allen Gilbert was born in Ames, Iowa on July 1, 1950 to his young parents, Alice Mae Gilbert and Ernest Galen (Gil) Gilbert. As Ernest (Galen/Gil) Gilbert was in the Air Force, Wayne grew up all over the country and even overseas, in Germany and Taiwan. He gained his undergraduate degree at Morningside College in Sioux City, IA and his master’s degree from Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO. Being a lifelong learner though, there are far too many additional classes, certificates, workshops and other continuing education programs to mention.
Wayne was a teacher at heart, a teacher by trade, and a teacher by universal design. He started by teaching at Strasburg High School, where he met many friends that he maintained to his final day. He then moved to college by teaching at Community College of Aurora and University of Colorado, Denver. Among these teaching positions he also led numerous workshops teaching teachers how to teach, English composition, writing, poetry and more. Even after he retired in 2012, he continued to teach by starting/helping to start programs like “Dance for Parkinson’s”, “Unlocked Poetry”, etc.
While he was a teacher by trade/heart/design, Wayne was also a poet, by nature. He was born to be a poet. Poetry flowed through his veins. His method of teaching most often included some sort of poetry. He wrote poetry every day of his life, without fail. He was an absolute master of words and could take the same 10 words to make 30 different, beautiful and meaningful poems. He helped countless people find their voice, find their life’s meaning, find their own person through poetry. He started poetry groups of various kinds throughout the state and elsewhere, including a poetry program through the prison system teaching incarcerated men all about poetry. He started performing his poetry in the early 2000s, as MagmaPoet and MagmaMystic with numerous musicians. They would improvise and play to his words while Wayne would alter his delivery to match and/or compliment the instruments. He was a natural at performance. He’s also been published a few times (once each through Turkey Buzzard Press and Liquid Light Press) and has several poetry performance videos on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@magmapoet9) or on the Davis Phinney Foundation site (https://davisphinneyfoundation.org/blog/podcast-poems-wayne-gilbert/)
In 1997 his daughter Samantha volunteered him to participate in her high school’s production of “Picnic”. He was hesitant, but never one to deny a daughter, agreed. This was the catalyst for a 28 year relationship with the theater director of that show and they did dozens of plays together at the high school, wrote and performed their own plays/stories and formed a deep friendship that lasted to Wayne’s last day. Many others were included in this amazing group called, “Us in a Box” and his time on the stage will be sincerely missed.
After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2005, Wayne was determined to not allow Parkinson’s to “run” his life. He doubled down on his plant-based lifestyle, continued his beloved walks, started dancing with his niece and began writing his legendary Parkinson’s poems. His compassion spread through the Parkinson’s community in the Dance for PD program and the Davis Phinney Foundation, both of which he was extremely involved with. He despised the terms “fighting” or “battling” when it came to his disease and instead chose to deal with his Parkinson’s through his community work, his lifestyle and of course, his poetry. “It’s all Jazz” he’d say.
Teaching and poetry may have been his life’s work and his life’s purpose, but his family was his life’s pride and his true heart. Wayne married the absolute love of his life, Alice Claire in December of 1977. They were married for a blissful and beautiful 48 years. Samantha was born in 1981 and Emily followed in 1984. Wayne was a true “girl dad” learning how to braid hair, apply makeup and speak “girl”. He loved being the only dance dad for Samantha and never minded hauling a large cello all over town. And he never missed a show, concert, recital, performance of either daughter.
Wayne is survived by his wife Alice C. Gilbert, his daughters and sons-in-law, Samantha Gilbert, John Larchick, Emily France and Lacy France, his grandson, Jaymin Wayne Larchick, his sister Jan Leversee and his brother Jeff Gilbert and their respective families. And by everyone who knew him, who’s lives he touched, who live by his advice to this day and who cherished the incredible, soulful man he was.
Wayne personally invites all his family, friends, confidants and acquaintances, in fact, anyone who loved him, to his memorial service which will take place on Friday, October 24th at 2pm at Parkview Congregational Church, 12444 E. Parkview Dr., Aurora, CO 80011. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers Wayne’s family has requested you consider a donation to one of his beloved organizations, Davis Phinney Foundation or Reconnect Dance for PD (Art as Action).
Thank you for this beautiful obituary. If Wayne didn’t write it himself, he would be proud.
My heartfelt condolences to Wayne’s family – and to everyone who loved him.
I met Wayne when he decided to volunteer at the hospice where I worked. Of course he did. He had a warmth and true presence with the patients to whom he was assigned and provided a dimension of sacred presence that I don’t believe they could have received from anyone else. My favorite story about Wayne is the day I met him at a long term care facility to introduce him to a new patient, who typically was a woman of few words. She took one look at Wayne and said, “Well, you’re a cute little devil!” Wayne glanced at me and said quietly, “What did she say?” clearly not expecting those words to come out of the mouth of a dying woman. But he was a cute little devil. One with a magnificent soul.
I am worry that I will miss his memorial service, as I will be out of state. But I certainly will be there in spirit.
I was one of those people he helped find their voice and meaning. Our paths crossed when I was fortunate enough to take the last ENG121 class he taught at CCA. I had to stop by his office the day he was packing it up. This jazz lover was rocking out to AC/DC! It was awesome. I will always remember him. He was what I needed for my first class, my voice, as I was changing my entire life at the ripe age of 53. Peace out Wayne.
It’s all jazz. Brilliant mind, compassionate heart. He is missed deeply.
Wayne Gilbert was a one of kind human being. I knew him for an all-too-short 15 years. He was my amigo and hermano, and I loved him.
Wayne was an amazing person! The light he shared with the world has lit fires that will continue to illuminate others long into the future. I value the memories I have from early camping trips to fun conversations. He will be missed.