Obituary of Linda Roehrig Knapp

Garamond,Linda Roehrig Knap Garamond,(August 31, 1944 August 11, 2017) text-align:justify Garamond,Where to start with this multi-faceted woman? There is so much to remember her for. Better start at her core, with things she did almost every day, from her earliest years: writer, reader, walker. Linda wrote many kinds of things, most notably weekly columns for Seattle-area newspapers ( Family Matters, Over Coffee, and Getting Started), but also several novels and non-fiction books about teaching, as well as writing for the Apple Computer Company. She read voraciously, both in a sitting position and through audio books as she did her daily walk on a treadmill (fittingly, her car license plate is READER). Combining indoor and outdoor walking, her pace was ten miles a day, yes ten, though probably a little less than this in her earlier child-rearing years, and in her last few months of illness. text-align:justify Garamond,Lindas immersion in visual arts paralleled her love of words and walking: ceramicist, fabric artist, photographer. Her house is amply decorated by her artistic production over the years (we still use the ceramic pottery), and especially the many photographs, which capture the natural and human worlds around her, and track her familys evolution over the years. text-align:justify Garamond,Mom and Grandmom Garamond, (known as Mimi): her family is also at the core of who Linda was, and her loving and detailed attention to the lives of son Justin (and spouse Nicole), daughter Molly (and spouse Kathy), and daughter Abby has been a central part of her life for decades. Add to that grandchildren Landyn, Emmett, Hadley and Keegan, of whom she was very proud. And add, as well, a network of Roehrig relatives and others who she faithfully stayed tuned to through Facebook and other means. text-align:justify Garamond,Spouse, lover, friend Garamond,: Lindas husband, Mike, has been a close partner of hers through thick and thin, including all the medical dates, each of which included a Starbucks latte or a Dairy Queen ice cream cone (the real medicines). Their relationship stayed rich and mutually rewarding till the end-41 years of married life in all. text-align:justify Garamond,Linda lovingly attended to the practical details of her life and those of her nearest and dearest, assuming the roles of planner, micromanager, task master. Superb at anticipating needs, deadlines, and circumstances, she could be depended on to remind you of this or that, and did so multiple times, often of things you really needed to remember and hadnt, even when you didnt want to remember. Heaven help you if you forgot; you were sure to hear about it again. text-align:justify Garamond,Linda was a curious combination of hermit and adventurer. Happily self-contained, she shied away from extensive visiting or traveling in her later years, content to surround herself with family and a tight network of intimates; yet this is the same woman who went overseas multiple times earlier in her life, living with a family in Holland for a summer during high school, and spending two years in the Peace Corps in Malawi, Central Africa, where she met her husband Mike. She had a curious, innovative streak, which led her to dabble with personal computing in its earliest days and found her writing pple Education News in the 1980s, when most of us had yet to imagine laptops. text-align:justify Garamond,Current events were an immediate and essential part of her day, right up to the end, and certain social values were central to who she was and what she stood for. Growing up in the 1960s, she became and stayed a feminist, progressive, and news junkie to the end, regularly sputtering about the latest headline, and rooting on the good guys (who changed periodically), while lamenting the latest turn of events on the national scene. Linda lived in the present, curious, loyal, practical, loving, energetic. text-align:justify Garamond,Her presence, energy, and sparkle will be sorely missed and long remembered. text-align:justify Garamond,In lieu of flowers, contributions to Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands would be very welcome, in keeping with Lindas lifelong commitment to this organization and the cause it champions. Contact: gifts@ppgnhi.org Garamond,or https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-great-northwest-hawaiian-islands. Announcement: text-align:justify Garamond,In lieu of flowers, contributions to Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands would be very welcome, in keeping with Lindas lifelong commitment to this organization and the cause it champions. Contact: gifts@ppgnhi.org Garamond,or https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-great-northwest-hawaiian-islands.