Linda Sherer

Linda Darlene (Killpack) Sherer was born in a birthing home near Logan, Iowa to parents Frederick and Mary (Holeton) Killpack on February 14, 1945. She died February 14, 2020, on her seventy-fifth birthday, in hospice care at Rose Vista Home in Woodbine, Iowa, a family business where she and her husband Eugene Sherer worked for more than 30 years and now two of her sons are administrators and her mother Mary lives.

As a young child, Linda grew up on a farm along with her brother Carl and sister Marsha near the Linwood Country School, where she attended through the fifth grade until her family moved into Logan. Her family lived briefly in Missouri Valley, but their home there was destroyed by fire when Linda was a sophomore in high school. Having lost everything, Linda said life was hard for her and her family for a few years afterward. Linda attended Logan High School, where she was an MVP guard in basketball, and she graduated in 1963.

Linda began working at Perfection Press as a lithographer in Logan and took classes at Dana College in Blair. In 1967, Eugene asked her on a date to a church social function, and they married on April 27, 1968. They first lived in town in Logan, and their sons Noel and David were born while living there. They soon moved to a farm north of town that Eugene's parents owned, and their daughter Julie was born during this time.

In 1972, Eugene and Linda bought Rose Vista Home along with Gene's parents, Ward and Esther Sherer. Gene and Linda then moved to Woodbine, and their son Aaron was born soon after. Linda initially worked as a nurse's aide at Rose Vista, and eventually she managed staffing, payroll, and dietary. In 1982, Linda and Gene bought a Queen Anne Victorian house on the south side of Woodbine, and they moved it one mile to the north side of town where they restored it, doing much of the work themselves.

Linda and Gene retired in 2001 after their sons Noel and David and daughter Julie joined the family business, which includes Longview Home in Missouri Valley and now Generations Hospice Care. Linda's favorite activity was fishing, and in retirement she enjoyed many fishing trips with Gene, family, and friends. Linda was a devoted grandmother to her sixteen grandchildren, and she especially enjoyed watching them play sports and perform music. Her not-so secret pleasures were watching old Westerns on TV and drinking a daily Dr. Pepper.

Linda was a lifelong member of the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). In 1991, she was among the first generation of women to be ordained into the church's priesthood, and she held the office of Elder, a role that took her to several churches in the area giving sermons and presiding over worship services. She also taught Sunday School and served as the church's district financial officer for years, and many of her closest friendships were formed and nurtured through church activities.

Throughout her life, Linda was a kind and devoted daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. She was especially gracious when her husband Gene died suddenly five years ago, saying, "We've had a good life together," and again when she was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer 9 months ago, assuring her family that "I've had a good life." Spending time with her over the past several months has been a profound gift for everyone who loved her.

Linda is preceded in death by her husband Eugene, father Fred, sister Marsha, infant sibling twins Jeffrey and Jeanette, and infant granddaughter Megan. She is survived by her mother Mary, her children Noel (Alison), David (Amy), Julie (George) Newton, all of Woodbine, and Aaron (Paul Smith) of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; her grandchildren Melissa, Adam, Nicole, Alexis, Hope, Derek, Meredith, Quinn, Celeste, Joshua, Amanda, Paige, Dustin, Taylor, Caden, and Ryan; her brother Carl (Nancy) Killpack of San Diego, California, and many cousins, brothers and sisters in laws, nieces and nephews, and other relatives.

Linda's children would like to thank the staff of CHI Health, Harrison County Home Health, Rose Vista, and Generations Hospice for the attentive and tender care they provided to our mother throughout her illness.

Memorial gifts may be made to Outreach International, a service organization addressing hunger, poverty and disease in ten countries, at 112 W 18th St. Kansas City, MO, 64108 or outreach-international.org.