Linda Marie (Hunt) Thom, age 77, of Coupeville, WA, passed away peacefully on May 4, 2022 with family by her side. Born March 10, 1945 in Flushing, NY, Linda lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Hyattsville, MD; and Camp Hill, PA, before moving to Severna Park, MD where she graduated from high school in 1963. Linda was editor of the school newspaper and yearbook, president of the debating society, and played flute and piccolo in the band.
Awarded a scholarship, Linda attended Lindenwood College (now University) in St. Charles, MO, graduating in 1967 with a B.A. in Economics. In 1964 Linda met Richard, her future husband of 54 years; they were married in 1967. The couple moved to Santa Monica, CA, where Linda was accepted in a seminal management trainee program, which included women for the first time, with Security Pacific National Bank. Until this time bank management ranks were exclusively male enclaves. Linda was justifiably proud of this pioneering accomplishment. First a branch Operations Manager, she was soon promoted to Assistant Manager rank, serving at the bustling Wilshire and La Brea branch on Los Angeles’ famous Miracle Mile, among others. Relocating in 1972 to Santa Barbara, CA, Linda joined the County of Santa Barbara, where she moved up rapidly to become Budget Analyst in the county administrator’s office, responsible for planning the county’s then $500 million annual budget. She retired from Santa Barbara County in 1995.
Linda found time for volunteer activities, serving on the boards of several mental health organizations and as treasurer for various associations. A self-described “numbers person,” she analyzed statistics about immigration into the U.S. and deduced its impacts on the economy. She was active in the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Center for Immigration Studies, and authored many articles for VDARE.com. A lifelong fiber artist, Linda learned to knit and crochet when she was six. She mastered quilting as well as spinning, dyeing, and weaving, and was an active member of the Santa Barbara Fiber Arts Guild and Whidbey Weavers Guild. She traveled to 47 countries, especially enjoying repeat visits to lands where she could personally experience indigenous weaving. Carrying photos of herself weaving at her loom, she had lively exchanges with weavers in India, Indonesia, Guatemala, and other places.
Predeceased by her parents Roy and Charlotte Smith Hunt, Linda is survived by her husband Richard Thom of Coupeville, WA; daughter Elizabeth Still of Sarasota, FL; son Robert Thom of Bainbridge Island, WA; and sisters Barbara Conrad of Harrisburg, PA, and Charlotte Laroux of Auburn, AL. Linda was the proud grandmother of five grandchildren aged five to twenty-three. Like her children Beth and Rob before them, each is following their own path but in a sense in her footsteps: ever-striving; independent; strong-willed. Linda wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
A Celebration of Linda’s Life will be held Saturday, June 25th, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the Wallin Stucky Funeral Home, Oak Harbor, WA. All whose lives she touched are invited. The family wishes memorial contributions be made to Lindenwood University (https://www.lindenwood.edu/giving/giving-opportunities/) which Linda credited so much for her successful and meaningful life.
