Linda Anne Stewart

Linda Anne Stewart, 83, passed away peacefully on November 21, 2024 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her daughter and grandchildren at her bedside. Born May 31, 1941 in Sacramento, California, Linda was an active person who was always willing to get involved, whether on a sports team or in the many roles she played as a community activist.

Linda graduated from Roseville High School with the class of 1959 ,where she was proud to be a majorette and athlete. She was a good student who also loved theatre, dance and sports. An early success was in high school baseball, where she once struck out 13 batters in a row, including the coach! In an era when girls were expected to play by a different set of rules, Linda played “with the guys”—and she would proudly say that they picked her for the team! Her teammates’ faith in her athletic talents was a portent of things to come: As she grew up and established a family of her own, Linda was active politically and socially in a host of ways. She was president of the PTO, a parent leader in the Boy Scouts, Bluebirds, Camp Fire Girls, 4H and, of course, the Little League. In the wider community, Linda was elected to the Sacramento County Park Board, played a part in Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and in the nonprofit Community Action Against Drug Abuse and later the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, where she attended to the children of survivors.

As a lifelong member of the World Wildlife Federation, Linda fought for legislation to protect mountain lions and save their habitat in California, and in Massachusetts, was a docent at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newbury, helping to educate a younger generation about conservation. In fact, children and animals were who Linda liked to keep company with the most. After raising her own two children, Linda worked as a nanny and petsitter. She loved flying kites, organizing picnics, and being outdoors. She was a fantastic cook who also baked and canned to perfection. Her curiosity, which lasted a lifetime, led her to learn sign language and acquire skills like how to help vulnerable, injured or orphaned wildlife. 

Linda never met a stranger. She was an engaged neighbor, good friend, loving aunt, devoted mother and doting grandmother. Long before Friendsgiving had its name, Linda made a place at her table for any and all, including those in need. She was attuned to injustice and served as a staunch ally in the pursuit of righting wrongs. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched, and she will be remembered for her kindness, courage, and commitment to defending those unable to defend themselves.

Linda was preceded in death by her father James M. Stewart, stepfather John H. Lundberg and mother Irene Fay Lundberg, Dorothy and Pete Alexander, Nora Cartmill, sister and brother in-law Lori and Bill Black, brothers Charles “Herky” Stewart and John Lundberg, Jr. and nephews Jason Lundberg and Derek Highstreet. Linda is survived by daughter Kathryn Nielsen and her partner Todd Herrmann, son and daughter-in-law Robert and Wendy Nielsen, nephew Mark Alexander, his wife Marti and their daughters Maya and Chloe, niece Diane Cady, her husband Sam Heiney and their children Maggie and Ben, nephew Brian Lundberg, grandchildren Heather Young, Corinne Renda, Danielle and Erick Roa, Kirsten Dube, Ryan Nielsen, Andrew Dube, Jake Nielsen, Alex Dube, and great grandchildren Alyssa, Noah, Kyla and Sierra Young and Ella and Leila Roa. 

A celebration of life is planned for the spring. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made in the name of Linda A. Stewart to Friends of the Parker River National Wildlife Reserve in Newbury, Massachusetts https://parkerriver.org/donation/

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