Linda Lee Echtenkamp, 84, of Boise, Idaho, died Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 12, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Boise with a reception to follow.
Linda Lee Echtenkamp was born Dec. 12, 1940 in Omaha. Growing up, she and her two sisters, Sherry and Marcia, were all close with their cousin, Rene. During her childhood in Omaha, she had polio, causing her to endure multiple surgeries on her knee and ankle to enable her to walk. In her teens, she suffered from scoliosis, and had to have another surgery on her back. With that surgery she spent six months in a hospital in Lincoln. It was customary in the 1950s that parents were only allowed to visit their children each Sunday for a few hours. It was hard on Linda who missed her parents and sisters, but she persevered.
In 1959 Linda graduated from Benson High School in Omaha. After graduation, she attended Wayne State College in Wayne. There, in Chemistry class, she met her future husband, Burton Floyd Echtenkamp.
The couple married in 1961, and they remained in Wayne while Burt finished his degree. After his graduation, they were blessed with two daughters - Julie and Jean. Linda and her family made lasting happy memories visiting Burt’s parents' farm in Wayne or Linda’s parents in Omaha. In 1980 they moved to Dallas for Burt’s career. Linda took the move as an opportunity to start work. She started working for Global Aviation and stayed there until her retirement. She was lucky enough to make a few life-long friends during her career - Sissy, Sammie, Dee, and Linda.
Linda was very creative, which could be seen in her passion for quilting. She loved to enter them in quilt shows and also made special quilts for each grandchild. She also painted, made ceramics, did needlepoint, and crocheted.
Burt and Linda were very active in their local King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas. They cultivated a thriving church family (The Panera Group). Eventually they moved to Boise, Idaho when their youngest daughter, Jean, moved there with her family. Before Burt’s passing in 2017, Burt and Linda enjoyed traveling, cruising, playing “too much” bridge, and employing their favorite saying “Shut up and deal!” In Boise, they made new friends at Redeemer Lutheran Church. Linda spent her remaining years at the Terraces in Boise where she was well loved and made many friends. In the past year, staff treated her like family. They loved her, and she loved them right back. The family thanks Chaya, Linda, Brenda, Ami, Dee Dee, Melissa, Lyndie, Ketsia, Theresa, Dae, Joe, Malika, and Aaron and so many others who cared for her. They shared many laughs with tutus and parties.
Any and all grandchildren soon became outranked by her great-granddaughter, Frankie. Linda loved spending time with her and showering her with love.
Linda was preceded in death by her husband Burt; daughter, Julie Gasman (née Echtenkamp); mother, Marguerite; father ,Edwin Martin; sister, Sherry Cawthorne; nephew, Michael Nattrass and her uncle, Frank Grasso.
Survivors include her daughter, Jean Pollock, her husband Carl Pollock, and her grandchildren, Sarah Gasman, her partner Ben Kellman, George Pollock, Reba Chieffe, her husband Doug, Matthew Pollock, his wife Jessica Peretti, their daughter Frankie Pollock, Vaughn Pollock, and his partner, Julia Burington.
