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Linda Joseph Obituary
Linda Kathleen Joseph, my mother, the woman with whom I shared a middle name and 43 years of laughs and sorrows and frustrations and hummus, found peace and comfort and passed away in the early hours of November 15th, 2024 at Health Sciences North in Sudbury.
Linda was married to her beloved Brian for almost 60 years, an incredible feat given the tragedies triumphs and massive amounts of garlic consumed by the Josephs during her lifetime. The two were incredibly close and supported one another no matter what life brought their way. From the golf course, to the road to Florida, to the Dialysis Unit at HSN these last 7 years, where you’d find one you’d find the other. Their devotion and genuine love was unmatched.
Linda is survived by Brian, her son Michael Joseph and her daughter Melissa Jones (husband Nick Jones). She was a proud and loving nanny to Elliott and Beatrice Jones. Predeceased by her parents, Sentlo and Olive Keown of Parry Sound. Linda was the fourth child and only daughter in her family, and I know that my uncles Barrie and John Keown will welcome her into the great beyond. Her brothers David and Neil will cherish her memory here on earth. Linda was surrounded by many loving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who will continue to hold her in their hearts.
Linda was skilled in many spheres that required the delicate working of her hands, including crafting (many among us are the proud owners of a Linda Joseph Santa Claus, made with love in the family basement at 216 Gold Street), and cooking. I once asked my mother – embarrassingly, after enjoying her delicious meals for decades – if she liked to cook. She paused for a moment, pensive, and confidently replied “yes, I really do.” Her answer gave me the freedom to request my favourite meals, which included shish kabob, rice heaped with butter, and her amazing green salad with homemade dressing. Looking back I am mortified to admit that I begged her to eliminate garlic from her salad dressing in my sensitive teenage years, worried about the smell I was giving off to friends and potential beaus. (She’ll be relieved to know that garlic or no, the beaus didn’t come a-knocking until much later in life.)
Linda loved to travel, enjoying many work trips with Brian across both North America and Europe. Our family subsisted on tales from their dramatic and beautiful trip to Italy for years, including the time the restaurant in a piazza in Rome charged them for tap waters and a plate of stale biscotti and the taxi driver took them for a literal and figurative ride.
These last few years had been so tough for Linda, with many health setbacks and challenges and daily pain and suffering. Instead of dwelling on these struggles, I ask that we fondly remember my mom in her elements: on the golf course with her fancy be-cleated golf sandals; at her house in Florida, enjoying the sun and the fried chicken from Publix; in the kitchen making a giant bird for our large extended family on the holidays, her perfectly and elegantly decorated tree twinkling in the background; sitting proudly in the audience at one of my shows or graduations, a stalwart figure who always showed up for me when it counted; and in the last decade, particularly before the pandemic, doting on Elliott, her first and only grandson.
Her love for Elliott deserves its own paragraph. From the second he arrived he was the apple of her eye; he could do no wrong and brought her immense joy. I’ve never seen my mom happier than when she was cuddling with Elliott. I will never in all my days be able to repay my mother for being there with Elliott on the worst night of all of our lives when he was nearly killed by a medication error at SickKids. That night Elliott should have drifted off to sleep and not woken up, but somehow some way he was saved; my mom suffered greatly from the experience of watching the code team work on him and it bonded them all the more.
One of my greatest sadnesses is that my mother’s health and the pandemic kept her away from her oft-dreamed about granddaughter, Beatrice. How many of you have received a gift of a tiny, delicate, frilly dress for your bundle of joy from Linda over the years? When I found out in 2021 that I was having a little girl, I dreamt of my mother playing with her hair as she so lovingly did to mine when I was little. Sadly, Beatrice will never know the comfort of my mother running her long, delicately painted fingernails through her hair as I did; I would promise to take over the reigns but Beatrice is 3 and has many feelings about both her hair and me touching it so it’s best to put a pin in it for a couple more years.
The best gift my parents could have given me was always showing up when I needed them. Whether it was those awful days in the NICU sitting by Elliott’s and my side, not knowing if we’d ever get to bring him home, to driving hours in the night to rescue me after a terrible car wreck my parents always, always showed up and made me feel safe. My mom was never overly expressive of her love, but in those moments I felt it in my bones. I am not alone in my gratitude for the support my parents provided, as this is how they both showed up in the world. Linda was only a phone call away to many, a gift or card lovingly picked to provide comfort in low moments or to celebrate a special moment.
My mother loved my writing and the kindest and most cherished compliment I ever got from her was that she thought I wrote beautifully and should write a book someday, so this is as fitting a way as any to hopefully get a message out to my mother in the great beyond: mom, I love you and I’ll miss you and I know you’re now at peace and pain-free. Please teach Jesus and Elvis how to make a good hummus, and look down over dad, my babies, and me.
My mother, true to form as someone who hated attention, did not want a funeral. A celebration of life will be held in the spring – and there will be garlic so bring gum.
For those wanting to commemorate Linda and celebrate her special place in your life, I am working with Health Sciences North in Sudbury to set up a donation page in support of the dialysis unit, where my mom spent many many hours over the last 6 years and from whom she received excellent care that always kept her dignity and agency at the forefront. Stay tuned for more details
Cremation services provided by Simple Wishes of the North, Sudbury.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Linda Kathleen Joseph, please visit our Tree Store.
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November 15 2024
Death notice for the town of: Sudbury, Province: Ontario
death notice Linda Kathleen Joseph November 15 2024
obituaries notice Linda Kathleen Joseph November 15 2024
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Linda Kathleen Joseph November 15 2024 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
