Linda Hunt Thom, age 77, formerly of Santa Barbara, passed away peacefully after a long illness in Oak Harbor, WA on May 4, 2022. 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 attended Lindenwood College in St. Charles, MO, graduating in 1967 with a B.A. in Economics. In 1964 she met Richard, her future husband of 54 years; they were married in 1967. After moving to Santa Monica, CA, Linda was accepted in a seminal management trainee program, which included women for the first time, with Security Pacific National Bank. 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, Linda joined the County of Santa Barbara, where she moved up rapidly to become Budget Analyst in the county administrator’s office. Retiring in 1995, Linda and Richard relocated to Whidbey Island,
WA in 2000.
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.
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. 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.
