Linda Elisabeth Stedje-Larsen, age 74, died in her home in Wingate, NC, on September 23, 2024, after a long battle with cancer.

Linda was born on July 6, 1950, in St. Johann im Pongau, Austria, and emigrated through Ellis Island in 1953 with her parents, Mary and Peter Blassmann.

In 1970 she married Robert and went on the have two sons, Eric and Kristain.

When Linda had her first child, Eric, she dedicated herself to being a fantastic and wonderful mother. Linda excelled at motherhood and was the cornerstone of our family, through and through.

She moved to Wingate, NC, in 1989 and earned her Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Wingate College. Furthering her education with a Master at Teaching (MAT) from Queens University and finally an EdS in Adult Education from Appalachian State University. She helped hundreds of students as a reading specialist and academic resource advisor for Wingate University's Academic Resource Center for twenty-seven years before retiring.

Linda was an avid lover of the outside. She enjoyed camping, visiting 36 National parks and all the state parks of North Carolina. She was a Master Gardener who put her talents and hard work as a volunteer at the Union County Agricultural Complex. She never stopped learning, and she found ice skating at age 60. She performed at Xtreme Ice Center in Indian Trail. She is survived by her husband, Robert; their sons Eric (54) of Virginia Beach, VA, Kristian (44) of Eau Clair, WI and six grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends.

In keeping with her nature, funeral services are private and for immediate family. In lieu of flowers a donation to www.unbound.org to help support Juan Rafael Lagos Pavon of Honduras would please Linda.

Scottish Poetry

On the day when

The weight deadens

On your shoulders

And you stumble,

May the clay dance

To balance you.

And when your eyes

Freeze behind

The grey window

And the ghost of loss

Gets in to you,

May a flock of colours,

Indigo, red, green,

And azure blue

Come to awaken in you

A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays

In the currach of thought

And a stain of ocean

Blackens beneath you,

May there come across the waters

A path of yellow moonlight

To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours

May the clarity of light be yours

May the fluency of the ocean be yours,

May the protection of the ancestors be yours,

And so may a slow

Wind work these words

Of love around you,

An invisible cloak

To mind your life.

By John O' Donohue