SNETHEN, Linda Jean Shippy
SNETHEN, SHIPPY
Posted By: Conni McDaniel Hall (email)
Date: 1/22/2024 at 09:25:24
Linda Jean Snethen died on January 13, 2024 -- 572 days after Paul, her husband and the love of her life. Her family and friends know what a great loss has occurred. Linda's generous, simple love brought harmony, community, love, and joy to everyone around her.
The only child of Gerald and Irene Shippy, she grew up in Lamoni, Iowa, where she and Paul fell in love when they were 14 years old. That love never wavered. They married when she was 19, and they moved to Des Moines and eventually to St. Marys, Iowa, where they raised two sons, Bryon and Christopher. Linda's passion for family led her to leadership in motherhood education and advocacy in the Le Leche League before working outside the home when her boys started school. For several years she was an account manager for Consolidated Management, a food service company, before becoming the administrative assistant to Tom Koehn at The Waldinger Corporation. She and Paul also developed deep relationships through their church, Community of Christ.
She and Paul traveled extensively, but she always said that Italy was her favorite. They had hoped that retirement would bring even more trips, but health limited their plans. They moved into an apartment at Scottish Rite and enjoyed the last years of their marriage becoming part of that community. During the last years of her life, Linda struggled with dementia, a condition that worsened when Paul died. Despite the erosion of her memory, she never forgot her love for her family. Even during her last weeks, when she had completely lost her language, she made kissing gestures when her children greeted her. Her strong heart was the last thing to fail.
Her family feels deep love and gratitude for this woman who brought them together and taught them how to care for one another. Paul and Linda loved their sons as well as their sons' wives, and they absolutely adored their grandchildren. Linda is survived by her sons (Bryon and Christopher), her daughters-in-law (Marsha Snethen and Larassa Kabel), and her grandsons (Aaron Snethen, Alex Snethen, and Emmet Kabel-Snethen).
Services will be March 16, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. with lunch following at Community of Christ Church, 4504 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Hope Center for Women and Children (Des Moines, Iowa), The Alzheimer’s Association or a charity of your choice.
Cremation provided by Bethany Memorial Chapel. Tributes may be left at www.bethanymemorialchapel.com .
Decatur Obituaries maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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