Linda Lou Meyer, 81, of Ellenton, Fla. and formerly of Indiana, was called by the Lord surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023.
Linda is survived by her beloved husband of 63 years, Galen; children: Rod (Carla) Meyer, Curt (Cindy) Meyer, Jeff (Kelly) Meyer, and Mindy (Jeremy) Johnson; precious grandchildren, Tiffany (Nathan) Lawton, Whitney (Matt) McCarthy, Raleigh (Luis) Pedro, Connor Meyer, Blake (Heather) Meyer, Morgan Meyer, Katie (Austin) Portolese, Ryan Meyer, Andrew Meyer, Hannah Johnson and Emma Johnson; great-grandchildren, Charlotte and Adeline Lawton, Sarah McCarthy, Giselle and Dominic Pedro, and Charlie Portolese; Marlowe and James Meyer; sister, Martha (late, Don) Okey; sisters-in-law, Patty (late, Norman) Dobson and Karon (late, James) Bothast; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Preceded in death by her parents, Delorn and Ruth Pease; brother, Carl (still living, Diane) Pease, and two brothers-in-law, Kenny (Sue) and Fred Meyer. One sister-in-law, Joan (Kenny) Shannon.
She grew up in Petroleum on the family farm. She graduated in 1960 from Petroleum High School where she was a cheerleader for four years. She still had friends from those years. She was attracted to her high school sweetheart, Galen, AKA Jake, when he wiggled his ears at her. He continued the ear wiggling throughout their life to make her laugh. Linda and Galen married Sept. 25, 1960. They began a whirlwind life together in Petroleum where they lived for many years while being blessed with four kids.
In 1976, they moved to Sweetser to be closer to Galen’s work. While living there, she took a job at Oak Hill High School as a cook so she could see her kids everyday. After her job there, she became an Activities Coordinator at Suite Living, an assisted living facility where everyone loved her. Linda and Galen eventually moved to Tipton, Ind. to be closer to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was the most genuine and loving grandma who treated everyone equally.
During the winters, Linda and Galen started going to Florida to her parents’ property for longer periods of time. Florida was always a second home to the family. So, because of Linda’s extreme dislike of snow, cold and winter, they officially moved to Florida full time in 2014. They became beloved members of the Tidevue Estates community in Ellenton, Fla. Linda thrived as a helper to the people of Tidevue by helping any way she could-pulling weeds was the latest craze!
Linda and Jake would make the trek north during the summers to see family and friends, and God had plans for Linda this past summer. He brought her to Indiana to be with family in her last days. While there, pancreatic cancer was discovered. As everyone knew, Linda never did anything slow, and the only thing that could slow her down was cancer. God’s blessings were seen throughout her whole ordeal. She was able to see and be with family and friends the whole time. She even impacted the nurses and anyone that she came in contact with during her illness. She was loved by everyone she met and she didn’t know a stranger. She loved unconditionally and loved hard! She let everyone know how much they meant to her. Linda wasn’t afraid to leave this Earth because she knew she was going to be with Jesus. She will be greatly missed by her husband, kids, grandkids, and friends but knows that one day she will be reunited with them in Heaven.
There will be a “Celebration of Life” for Linda on Dec. 29, 2023 at Petroleum United Methodist Church located at 3625 Second St. Petroleum, IN 46778. A memorial gathering from will be held from 2-7 p.m. with a “Celebration of Life” service at 4 p.m. followed by a funeral reception. Please attend at any time. The family will have a Celebration Service in Florida later in January 2024. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given in memory of Linda to her beloved new friends at the Northwest Cancer Center Foundation, 1001 Calumet Ave. Dyer, IN 46311. Attn: Susan Camerano. The tax-deductible gift will be used to assist patients with expenses related to their cancer journey including transportation costs, medications, food and bills not covered by insurance.