Linda Andersen was born September 25, 1943, to Gertrude and Edward Johnson. She died on August 27, 2025, after battling cancer and other illnesses for 13 years.

During WWII Linda and Gert lived in Ventura, with Gert’s mother and sister Dorothy, while Ed served with the Sea Bees in the South Pacific. Dorothy’s husband was also in the South Pacific, with the Marine Corps.

After the war Gert and Ed, and their two daughters, Linda and her older sister Georgia, returned to Ed’s home in Eureka, where Ed worked as an engineer. In the early 1950s Ed took a job with Bechtel Corp in Saudi Arabia. After two years at home and a year or so in Korea, building roads, Ed, with his family, traveled to Australia to work on the Adaminiby Dam project in the Snowy Mountains.

During her seventh-grade year, Linda lived in a construction camp and commuted by bus for an hour each way to attend an Australian school. She had fond memories and good stories about her year in Australia. She graduated from Eureka High School in 1961.

For the last 51 years Linda lived in Ferndale with her husband Don. Their daughter Jill and her family moved to Baton Rouge, LA where Don and Linda bought a condo and they spent a large amount of their time. It was there in 2013 that Linda was diagnosed with kidney cancer. The day before her surgery to remove one of her kidneys she fell and broke her hip. It was later found that the cancer had metastasized and spread to her lung. She received oral cancer medication for six years before discontinuing the treatment due to its side effects, but the cancer did not spread further until recently. She experienced a major heart attack and minor strokes after her cancer diagnosis.

In late 2020 Don and Linda moved back to Ferndale to enjoy time in the home that they built and loved, and to be close to old friends and Don’s brother Dave.

Linda was a great cook and a talented tole painter. She loved decorating at least two trees at Christmas - and setting a beautiful table for dinners on holidays. She loved her animals, many cats over the years, but especially her dogs - Arnold, Gus Shiela, Tinker, Belle, Marley – too numerous to mention them all. She also enjoyed watching the wildlife that surrounded her home. She received great pleasure from teaching Kids Club at Our Saviors Lutheran Church and delivering meals on wheels to the people in the valley.

Linda is survived by her husband, Don Andersen, and brother-in-law, David Andersen, both of Ferndale; her daughter, Jill Ross and husband Tim; grandchildren Molly Mars and her spouse Mason, and Brian Uhler and his wife Miranda; as well as much-loved great-grandchildren Piper, Emerson, and Cypress Mars, and Beckett, Easton, and Callie Uhler, all residing in Louisiana. She was preceded in death by her parents Gert and Ed Johnson, her sister Georgia, and her in-laws Andrew and Marion Andersen.

We would like to thank our caregiver and friend Sara Brown for her support over the past few years. She made life possible and fun for Linda. We also thank Pastor Jeff Hansen.

Our granddaughter Molly was with Linda when she passed, and has been a blessing to her mother and I in this trying time. Thanks to the Ferndale Fire Dept. for their years of support and ongoing service to Linda and I, and to our community. And a sincere thank you to all our wonderful friends who have been so supportive during this long journey. Private family services will be held at a later date.

If you would like to make a memorial contribution in Linda’s memory, her choices would be The Ferndale Museum, Our Saviors Lutheran Church or The Ferndale Fire Dept.

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