Linda Johnson, 74, formerly of Owatonna
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
On Sept. 24, 2024, Linda Lee Johnson, beloved sister, aunt, cousin, friend passed away after a 1½-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Her last days were spent with her many friends and her two brothers.
There will be a memorial gathering followed by the Holy Rosary at Starks Funeral Home, 3651 S. 900E, Milcreek, on Thursday, Sept. 26. A memorial mass will be held the following day at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 3015 Creek Road, Cottonwood Hts.
Born to Louis and Jane Rishavy on Jan. 8, 1950, in Owatonna, she attended St. Mary’s primary school and graduated from Marian High School.
She began piano lessons early on and continued to play both piano and organ throughout her life. She attended St. Teresa College in Winona and graduated with a B.S. in Nursing. From there Linda moved with her friend and fellow nurse, Stephanie, to Moline, Ill., where she worked in cardiac care for 10 years.
After volunteering to work as a nurse at the Yellowstone National Park medical clinic for several summers, she made the decision to move to Salt Lake City. She began working in cardiac care at LDS Hospital and eventually became a health care quality coordinator. She earned an M.A. to advance her career. Ensuring quality health care was her passion not only in Salt Lake but even in Alaska for a year. Multiple healthcare organizations benefited from her expertise and many friendships were formed over the years.
Outside of work, being outdoors in nature was her happy place. She enjoyed hiking, annual trips to Yellowstone and became an accomplished nature photographer. She was also an avid birder and was very active in Audubon. She joined the Osher Life Long Learning Institute at the University of Utah in 2010, taking over 80 classes right through summer 2024. In 2018, she volunteered to serve on the Osher Curriculum Committee and served as the committee’s Chair over the past year.
So long as there are birds singing in the hereafter, Linda will know she has truly died and gone to heaven!
Linda is survived by her brothers Jim (Joy) Rishavy and John (Sandra) Rishavy.
She is preceded in death by her mother and father.
Donations in her memory may be directed to Pancreatic cancer research.