Patricia Clydell “Trish” Gilbert (née Scarlett)
December 31, 1947 – February 18, 2025
Patricia Clydell “Trish” Gilbert passed away on February 18, 2025, in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 77. Born on New Year’s Eve, 1947, in Marysville, California, Trish lived a life marked by depth, warmth, intelligence, and a fierce devotion to those she loved.
Raised Southern Baptist, she converted to Catholicism as a young mother and remained a seeker throughout her life—drawn to mysticism, meaning, and the invisible threads that run through the world’s great spiritual traditions. In her studies, she explored the sacred within Christianity and Islam, and held a reverence for mystery that shaped her worldview.
In 1971, during the Vietnam War, Trish moved with her husband and children from New Mexico to Canada. There, she built a life rooted in service and resilience, eventually becoming Postmaster in Guelph, Ontario. After returning to the U.S., she completed degrees in Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of New Mexico—a reflection of her enduring curiosity about human culture, myth, and history.
She loved literature, old cities, and real conversations. Traveling with her daughter through Europe, she delighted in sacred places, art, and long talks over red wine or beer. Her writing was rich with insight and longing. In one piece, she asked:
“And why is the grand passion of a monumental love affair a recurring theme in western literature? Why do Helen and Paris, Anthony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde strike chords of longing in our souls? Does our psyche embrace a racial fantasy, or does the grand passion actually exist?”
Though life never gave her the mythic romance she longed for, Trish gave and received a quieter, enduring kind of love. She was married to Roger Vance Gilbert Jr., and she adored his large and loving family of six siblings. Together they had two children: Roger “Vance” Gilbert III, and Terri Gilbert. She was a thoughtful, fiercely loyal mother who met every question—even the hard ones—with honesty, humor, and respect.
Trish created refuge for others. Friends of her children who had nowhere else to go were welcomed into her home. Teenagers who came to New Year’s Eve parties at her house learned how to drink responsibly—not because she encouraged recklessness, but because she believed in teaching life with dignity. She was a steady presence, a wise adult, a quiet sanctuary.
Later in life, Trish helped raise her grandchildren—Alexis R. Gilbert, Sydney R. Gilbert, and Cameron D. Houghton—speaking to them as whole beings from the very start. While her daughter pursued her PhD, Trish stood beside her as a source of strength and care. Her love echoes in the lives of those she helped shape.
Trish was preceded in death by her beloved mother, Glory Lorraine Scarlett, whose passing when Trish was still a young woman left an ache that shaped her forever, and by her father, Clyde Scarlett, whom she adored. Even as dementia blurred the edges of her memory, Trish remembered loving her husband near the end—and she said so.
She spent her final years in Seattle, surrounded by family. Near the end of her life, her daughter told her, “You lived a good life.” Trish paused, uncertain, and asked, “Really?” The reply came, full of truth and love: “Come on. Look at me.” A response she greeted with recognition and laughter.
She is survived by her children, Vance and Terri; her son-in-law, Scott Houghton; her grandchildren, Alexis, Sydney, and Cameron; and by the many lives she touched with her presence, her questions, and her care.
She was a woman who mattered. She will be missed—and remembered.
A virtual memorial service will be held on May 24th from 9-11 am Pacific Time. Please RSVP to tgilhou@gmail.com to receive login details.