Linda Zoe (Phetteplace) Helgason

Linda Zoe Phetteplace Helgason died with her family around her at the Brian Center in Spruce Pine, North Carolina on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. She was 84 years old. Born in Indiana, Linda lived all around the United States and in Palestine during her childhood, eventually settling in Lima, Ohio.

A hardworking, first-class student, she attended Bowling Green State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Massachusetts where she studied English literature and composition. Her career as an English teacher included teaching at UMass, Mt. Holyoke, SUNY Albany, and finally at South Point High School in Ohio, where she also taught Latin. She loved the writings of the Victorian period and especially admired the works of Charles Dickens.

Linda had many talents. As a music lover, she played the piano, the clarinet, and had a fine alto voice. She wrote poetry. She was also a great cook and an accomplished seamstress. Always artistic, in later life she developed a passion for painting and left behind a collection of beautiful studies of the human form. She had a whimsical sense of humor and a dry wit. Kind and affectionate, she had a gift for making friends and caring for others. After living in Ironton, Ohio for nearly 40 years, Linda spent the last six years of her life in Burnsville, North Carolina, where she never tired of looking at the beautiful mountains.

She was the eldest child of the late George Theodore Phetteplace, and Gail Isabel Leist Phetteplace. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her brother, George Mahmoud Phetteplace; and her brother-in-law, Thomas Steed Trout.

She is survived by her sisters: Brenda Lee Phetteplace of Burnsville and Sally Anne Phetteplace (Don Borchert) of Mission Viejo, CA; seven nieces and nephews, seven great nieces and nephews, and a host of cousins.

Special thanks are due to Dora Gouvia, her caregiver and companion in Burnsville.

A memorial service is planned for later in the spring and will be announced at a later date.

Holcombe Brothers is respectfully serving the Helgason family.

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