Dear Sandy, Katie, Rachel, and David,

Our family grieves with you on the sudden passing of dear Linda and our prayers are with you for strength and peace to bear this huge void in your lives. We are simultaneously grateful that God spared her prolonged suffering after diagnosis and blessed her with a normal life until Saturday. Our only solace is that she is now in the Father’s arms, free from pain.

I feel so blessed that I got to know Linda on a deeper level through our 5-women Bible Study Group in Wayne, NJ. She most often started us off with singing “Our God is an Awesome God”…. how fitting it was and she must be singing it now full-throated in Heaven! Her effort to drive 50 minutes each way to join us in Bible Study besides doing it on Sundays to attend Mass in Wayne was inspiring. Linda lived her faith, shared her faith, and thirsted for more.

Our family will never forget the many wonderful Sundays we have spent with the Collins family in Oxford, NJ. Watching both Linda and Sandy build an extension to their house without outside help was admirable. And they happily co-existed with all the inconveniences of remodeling over quite a few years! They did it as a family, they did it as a team, and they did it with a smile!! We had the privilege of learning from them firsthand about hard work, making adjustments, and being content. Their life in Oxford was blessed with ideal living - “Neighbors helping Neighbors”.

Linda was also so proud of her circular garden and shared many plants with us. We will continue to savor a remembrance of her in our yard.

Linda discovered her musical talent with the guitar only as an adult. She invested this talent for the Lord and played for our 10 a.m. Mass at Annunciation church. Her music ministry will remain with us forever.

We cherish many memories of dear Linda. God bless her soul. May she rest in peace.

Rosemarie Pereira

I met Sandy and Linda about 30 years ago at St Rose, I think it was a party for Father Ratigan. After , I would go to their house for supper, and a bible study at another time, or we walked at Merrill Creek Reservoir .I remember the little house for Linda's mother on their property, and I also got to know Sandy's dad. Linda had a gift for music, and I would say her voice and laughter had a musical quality. Sandy and Linda offered me strength and support when my brother committed suicide in 1991, looking back I am so grateful! Yes, we are all blessed to have had her as long as we did. Her rapid passing is good for her, but very hard on the family. Rev Andy in Denver,CO

To Sandy and family,

Please know that you are all in my daily prayers, that God gives you strength to face each day during this time. I always loved listening to Linda sing, especially before Mass. She would sing a contemporary Christian song and I would just close my eyes and soak it all in, half the time starting Mass in tears. My greatest memory of her is listening to her sing the Exultet last Easter Vigil. The Church was dark, only our candles lit, and there stood Linda at the ambo with just a little light shining on her. She did a fabulous job and goosebumps were felt on my arms. May you see Linda in the butterflies that pass by, the red light that turns green as you near it, the cardinal that shows up unexpectedly in your yard, the rainbow that shines after the storm! She will never be forgotten but terribly missed! And by our faith, we know we will all be together again one day in the great Kingdom of Heaven! May the angels lead Linda into paradise and the martyrs receive her at her arrival and lead her to the holy city of Jerusalem and may her soul rest in peace. God bless!!!

Linda was a lifetime friend and spiritual sister. Her warm hospitality and delicious meals, served in friendship and fellowship over 45 years, were an act of sheer grace. We remember Sandy and Linda visiting our home in different states and enjoying time together. The last time Linda and Sandy visited us in Virginia, on their back home from Florida, at my request Linda chanted the Exsultet for me because I so loved hearing her sing. It was so beautiful. May she today be singing with the heavenly choir of angels, to the praise and glory of God, as she did on earth. We love you and will miss you dearly. Millee and Mitchell

Linda was an amazing woman! I loved singing with her in St. Patrick’s choir. She had the most beautiful voice. I know she’s singing with the angels around God’s throne. May she find peace and love in God’s arms and my deepest sympathies to her family and friends. May they find comfort and peace during this time of mourning. My prayers and love are with you all.

The staff of MacFadden Funeral Home extend our deepest condolences to you and your family on the passing of your loved one. Please accept our heartfelt sympathy for your loss. May our thoughts and prayers provide comfort for your family during this difficult time.