Carolyn Leath Stevens
January 21, 1941 – December 23, 2020
Carolyn Stevens, age 79, passed away peacefully in her home in Caldwell, Idaho on December 23, 2020 after a long fight with Alzheimer’s. She was born on January 21, 1941 in Boise, Idaho to Lloyd and Dorothy Leath and was the oldest of their three children.
Carolyn grew up in Boise, graduated from Boise High School in 1959 and then attended Boise Junior College where she graduated in 1961 with an Associate Business Degree. She was a great student and very good with numbers, which led to her career as a bookkeeper for the law firm of Eberle & Berlin where she worked until her retirement.
In high school Carolyn met the love of her life and the man who would later become her husband, Gary Stevens. They shared a love of animals and the outdoors and spent a lot of time together hunting and camping. Their first hunting trip together was with her parents and their dog which led Gary to decide he wouldn’t hunt again without a dog of his own. That same night Carolyn’s dad took them to a breeder he knew, and they brought home Bourbon, their first puppy and the first of many German Shorthaired Pointers and later English Pointers, that they would own.
In 1960, shortly after getting Bourbon, they joined the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Idaho which became a big part of their lives and led them to their many great friends. They have raised litters and litters of puppies, and while Gary competed the dogs in field trials, Carolyn served as Secretary and Treasurer for the club for many years and was given an Honorary Lifetime Membership.
Carolyn and Gary were married on August 4, 1962 and they had two kids. From an early age, Carolyn’s favorite thing to do was to spend time at the family cabin at Warm Lake, and she passed on her love of the cabin to her kids. She loved to hang out on the homemade swing that was hung between two pine trees. While at the cabin she also enjoyed fly fishing on the South Fork of the Salmon River, swimming, water skiing, reading by the fire, and most of all trolling for fish out of the rowboat.
Carolyn finally retired in 2005 and she and Gary spent a lot of time together. They went to field trials, cheered on their grandkids at their sporting events, visited Colorado and Texas where their daughter’s family lived, did some travelling and enjoyed many trips to the cabin until Alzheimer’s made traveling too difficult. Gary kept the promise he made to Carolyn by keeping her at home and taking care of her throughout her illness.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Janie Leath and her brother Thomas Leath.
Carolyn is survived by her loving husband Gary Stevens; son Jeff Stevens (Jody), daughter Shannon Holstine (Chris); grandchildren Trevor Stevens, Sarah Thomas (Sean), Paige Dolan (Chase), Dallas Holstine, Kyle Holstine (Tracie); great grandchildren King Thomas, Scarlett Holstine and Crew Holstine along with many nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family wishes to give a special thanks to her wonderful caregivers Leslie Debore and Paula Martinez from Havenwood Caregiver Services and the staff of Treasure Valley Hospice. The love, compassion and exceptional care you gave Carolyn was appreciated more than you can know.
A graveside service will be held on Monday, January 4th at Cloverdale Funeral Home but is limited to family only due to the current Covid restrictions
Although Carolyn loved flowers and always had a rose garden in her yard, in lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.