Hibbing – Linda gustafson passed away unexpectedly at her home in Hibbing on May 25, 2022.
Linda Ann Gustafson was born August 3, 1943, the first child of Ken and Lily (Erickson) Gustafson. She attended Northrop Grade School, and graduated in the top ten of her class at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls in 1961. She sang three years in the Lincoln High School concert choir. Her favorite teachers were Thora Skomedal and Bryant Ulseth.
She continued her education at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where she obtained a
double major in French and German. She studied one summer at the University of Vienna. She was a Phi Beta Kappa at UND, and graduated summa cum laude.
Linda’s whole working career was spent as an educator. She taught two years in Hibbing, and the remainder of her teaching career in Brainerd. She was the first woman in the Brainerd School Disctrict to be granted a sabbatical, obtaining a Master’s Degree in counseling at Saint Cloud State University, and she counseled eighth grade students in Brainerd for the rest of her career. She retired in 1999.
Jim Moren was the love of her life, and they spent the last fifteen years together in Hibbing. Jim passed away on Veteran’s Day in 2021. Linda took care of him in their home until the last two weeks of his life. They were both very active in retired teacher activities, Education Minnesota, DFL politics, and union activities.
Linda watched Jeopardy on television religiously. When host Alex Trebek died, it was like a death in the family to her, but she continued to watch the show every day. Linda’s family knew not to call her Between 4 and 5 p.m., when she was watching episodes of Jeopardy.
Linda had a group of friends from Brainerd who met periodically to play games and visit with each other. Linda will be deeply missed by her “games group” friends from Brainerd.
Never having had any children, Linda spoiled her nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews. Time spent with her family was precious to her. She was a woman of faith, and that faith was never more evident than at the end of her life.
Linda was preceded in death by her brother, David (1975); her mother, Lily (1978); and her father, Ken (1980). She was also preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Dave and Jule Gustafson; and by her maternal grandparents, Robert and Clara Erickson; by a favorite great aunt, Hannah Gustafson; and by all her aunts and uncles. Three of her cousins passed before she did – Jimmy Tiedeman (1952), Patt Tiedeman (2003), and Nan Barrett Wilson (2007).
She is survived by her brother, Jeff (Rosie) of Thief River Falls; her brother, Bob (Sarah Hellekson) of St. Michael; and by her sister, Kay (Jack) Kraywinkle of Brainerd. She is also survived by her nephews, Karl (Becky) Kraywinkle of Naperville, il, and their children, greta and Ben; by matt gustafson of minneapolis; by nieces, sarah andrade of carlsbad, CA, and her sons, Trey and Luke; by erika (brian) totman of St. Michael, and their children, kendall and brynn; by ann (nick) Tunheim of moorhead, and their children, yohannes of nashville, Tn, and kaleb, malia and halle of moorhead; and by niece, lily Gustafson of jamestown, nd. She is also survived by numerous cousins on both sides of her family, and by jim’s six children.
linda will be greatly missed by her friends and family. We are all grateful for her life, which was lived with love as its centerpiece. Although she left us sooner than we would have wished, we cling to the hope that we will see her again one day in a place far better than this.
A memorial service will be held at the United church of christ at 415 juniper street in brainerd, at 1 p.m. on saturday, july 16, 2022, with pastor terry tilton officiating.
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