Linda Jean Flaherty Povirk, aka Grandma Grey-cat (#2), was born in 1942 to Thomas J. and Margaret E. Flaherty (Grandma Grey-cat #1) in Pittsburgh, Penn., and passed in Eureka on May 27, 2022. She was born prematurely, the surviving twin, and spent the first two months of her life in an “incubator” before coming home to her parents.

As a young adult, Linda attended Grove City College, where she studied Spanish and also met her future husband, Frank Povirk, with whom she had two children, Kyra and Kurt. Frank’s job in the steel industry took the family to Troy, Mich., and then Irvine, Calif. in 1979, where Linda worked in a number of administrative assistant positions in the classroom and the library at the kids’ elementary and middle schools, and then later at UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif.

Linda was a free spirit, and after many years of marriage she and Frank divorced in the early 1990s. Linda and friends often visited the kids in their far-away homes in Humboldt County and Wyoming and Idaho. She loved to keep tabs on all the kids’ friends as they grew up and into adulthood. If you needed to find a person, Linda was your go-to; she could find just about anyone online and loved to call up long lost friends to reconnect or to play Words with Friends. She loved merlot, jewelry, art and culture, old movies, David Bowie, Queen and Freddy Mercury, animals (especially all her cats over the years), Big Macs, Alaskan king crab, and collecting business cards, stamps, fine china and Polish pottery. She could beat anybody at Trivial Pursuit. While it was hard to tell sometimes, she loved her entire family very much, even though she hadn’t spoken with some in many years. Grandsons Monti and Killian were the light of her life.

Linda was a very emotional and creative person with a great artistic eye - she could turn any room into a beautifully designed and coordinated space. She loved colorful clothing and jewelry. Sadly, she struggled through the years with her health and the demon of alcoholism, which shaped the last 20 years of her life. When she could no longer live on her own, she moved to the “purple house” in Salmon, Idaho, where she was cared for by her daughter, Kyra, in-laws and friends. While her time in Idaho was challenging, we enjoyed many wonderful Sunday night dinners at the Lingle’s with neighborhood friends. When she was on-point, she was engaging, witty, and a joy to be around.

Linda later moved in and out of a number of assisted living facilities, and eventually settled in Eureka near son Kurt and ex-husband Frank. She loved to go to the Sea Grill, Jack’s and Café Waterfront for seafood, wine and socializing. She enjoyed walking around Old-Town Eureka to look in the shops, especially Ciara’s Irish Shop, which brought back many good memories of her 2015 trip to Ireland with the kids.

Linda dodged many bullets over the years but couldn’t outrun the pneumonia that settled in her lung in May 2022. After “watching” The Big Chill and Foul Play (with Dudley Moore, Burgess Meredith, Goldy Hawn and Chevy Chase – she would want you to know) with her daughter, Linda passed the evening of May 27, 2022 at Providence St. Joseph’s hospital in Eureka. As she would say, “this tough old bird has flown the coop!”.

Linda is survived by her children Kyra Povirk (Dave Lingle) of Salmon, Idaho, son Kurt Povirk and grandchildren Monti and Killian Povirk of Bayside and brothers TimTom Flaherty and James Flaherty and their families. She was predeceased by her parents and twin sister, baby Flaherty.

Many thanks to everyone, some of whom have passed, that helped us over the years with her care; Don Mogensen, Micha Ellsworth, Dave Lingle, Betty Lingle, Donna Gebhardt, and Cheryl Horner of Salmon, Idaho, Darcy Liang of Irvine, Betsy Martin of Laguna Woods Village, CA, and ex-husband Frank Povirk. We greatly appreciate care provided by the employees of Providence St. Joseph Hospital and Alder Bay Assisted Living in Eureka, Sunrise Villa Valencia in Laguna Hills, and the Discovery Care Center in Salmon, Idaho. Linda requested that her ashes be “shaken, not stirred” - accordingly, a celebration of life will be held at later dates in Laguna Beach and Salmon. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your local animal shelter or hospice organization.

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