Teresa Lee "Terri" Calkins

Teresa Lee "Terri" Calkins, 70, of Pocatello, Idaho, passed away on September 26, 2026. Terri loved her kids and grandkids more than anything, and she had a soft spot for just about everyone else.

Terri was born on September 2, 1956, in Sheridan, Wyoming. She grew up there and graduated from Sheridan High School in 1974. In 1979 she married Steve Klitgaard and moved to Pocatello, which became her home and where she became the mother of her four children. The two eventually parted ways. Later, she and Rick Gallegos were together for many years, and he took her on many road trips and to motorcycle rallies. Eventually, she settled into a place of her own and lived independently the rest of her life with her family and dog at the center of it.

Terri waited tables at Red Lobster for almost 20 years, from 1993 to 2012. She could talk to anybody, and she made every table feel at home. After that, she worked at Walmart until she retired in 2021. You couldn't go anywhere in Pocatello with Terri without running into someone she knew. Off the clock, she would help anyone who needed a hand. In 2013 she received the Friend of the Year award for her work with the Southeastern Idaho Community Action Agency. She also helped plan and run the Mackay Motorcycle Rodeo which she looked forward to every year.

She loved a good cup of coffee, and a garage sale or auction bargain could make her whole day. She played the piano and was hooked on crime shows and TV music competitions. While she was the sweetest of ladies, she was also known for her feisty spirit, quick wit, and wonderfully inappropriate sense of humor. She absolutely adored her dog, Jasper. She also loved FaceTiming with her kids or grandkids on a daily basis.

The grandkids had plenty of nicknames for her, including Grammy and Grandma Howdeedoo. She took them on donut dates, always had treats hiding in her pockets for them, and took them to play at the park near her house. She was in the stands at their games and never missed a birthday.

To know her is to love her. Her warmth, kindness, and spirit will be desperately missed by her family, her friends, and everyone whose life she has touched.

Terri leaves behind her children, Josh (Anne), Jess (Aaron), Jenny (Nick), and Jeff. Her grandchildren are Rylee, Jack, Zoey, Wesley, Emma, Isaiah, Samuel, Adeline, Noah, Joseph, Natalie, Evelyn, Jordyn, and Easton. She also leaves her stepmother Deborah Cummings, her sister Patty Mines, her half-brother Bill Hall, her stepbrother Bob Calkins, her stepsister Rebecca Hutton, and of course Jasper. She was preceded in death by her father James Robert Calkins, her mother Charee Hall, her sister Sindy Busby, and her grandson Stephen Bowman.

Family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life on Monday, October 5, 2026, from 4 to 5 p.m. at Wilks Funeral Home, 211 W. Chubbuck Road, in Chubbuck. A reception will follow from 5 to 7 p.m. in the same place.

Instead of flowers, please consider a donation in Terri's memory to the Southeastern Idaho Community Action Agency (SEICAA), Wounded Warrior Project, the Pocatello Elks Lodge, or your local food pantry.

Memories and condolences may be shared by visiting the Guestbook below