Linda Jeanne Connor

Linda Jeanne (Lee) Connor, 78, of Okemos, Michigan went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the evening of June 6th, 2025. She died peacefully in her home at Bickford of Okemos surrounded by many of those who loved her most.

Linda was born January 12, 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri to Mary Martha (Johnson) Lee and Wilmer Pollak Lee. The second eldest of five children, Linda was a good student and a hard worker, believing strongly that once you set your mind to doing something you should do it to the best of your abilities, a conviction she carried with her through life and instilled in her kids.

She got her first job in middle school picking strawberries in Walla Walla, Washington, where her family lived briefly, before moving back to St. Louis and working at Sears selling cameras and then caramel corn—she added extra peanuts for her favorite customers!—while attending Affton High School, where she was voted “Most Likely to Succeed.”

After graduation she got a full-time office job at CarrLane Mfg. and took night classes at the local community college; it was there Linda met a “cute but kind of nerdy” guy, Dan, who would wait for her after class and walk her to her car. They married in 1966, much to the dismay of her mother who thought Linda could do better. In 1970, Linda embarked on perhaps her toughest yet most rewarding job of all: motherhood. She loved being a mom; it was tiring but she enjoyed watching her children grow. When her youngest started school, Linda went back to school, too, enrolling in the nursing program at Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wisconsin. For the next several years she adeptly juggled and took great pride in being a wife, mother and adult student—her kids remember “helping mom with her homework” as she dissected a fetal pig on their kitchen table—and graduated magna cum laude. She was nominated to be the Class Speaker by her fellow nursing students and her family watched with pride as she delivered her speech. Linda’s career as a registered nurse spanned nearly three decades, during which time she worked in various departments and capacities. Ultimately she served as the Head of Mother Baby at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan and was awarded Nurse Manager of the Year in 2010. Her retirement from nursing at the end of 2011 left her more time to pursue her many varied interests.

Linda was a voracious reader. She spent countless hours blissfully content deep in the pages of a good book, especially a crime fiction novel. Her literary recommendations will be missed. She enjoyed making quilts, journaling, and shopping. Her daughters joked with her that she had so many clothes in her closet still bearing price tags from Chico’s that she could open her own store.

Linda relished every opportunity to grow as a Christian. Whether singing in the choir, leading or attending Bible study groups, or volunteering in the church office, she found great fulfillment being of service to God and others.

Linda and Dan spent several years as Campground Hosts at Platte River Campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, basking in the beauty of nature from the comfort of their beloved Airstream trailer. They also cherished annual family trips to their Ocean Pointe and Crystal Shores timeshares in Florida, affording them an opportunity to spend quality time with (especially) their grandchildren away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They were doting, proud grandparents who counted time spent as Grammy and Grampy as one of their greatest treasures in life.

Christmas was always Linda’s favorite holiday and she certainly made it special. Her family became excited as soon as her bountiful Christmas decorations adorned every room in the house—they were far less excited about carrying all the boxes of aforementioned decorations up from the basement—because it meant they could soon look forward to her never-ending supply of scrumptious Christmas cookies, stored in weathered cookie tins in either the cold attic or garage, and generously shared. Once her grandkids were old enough, they (and their friends) loved helping Grandma decorate cut-out sugar cookies and gingerbread men. Aside from her legendary Christmas cookies, Linda thoroughly enjoyed cooking and baking and some of her most requested dishes were her spinach pie with homemade dough, caramel pecan rolls, and her fried chicken, fried in the same grease-covered electric skillet she’d had for years. We will try to recreate her recipes using her well-worn cookbooks full of handwritten notes, but we doubt our creations will ever taste as good as hers.

Linda was a kind, sweet, inspiring and fun person and she never shied away from adventure. We were happy to know that “raising three beautiful children” was one of her proudest accomplishments…thankfully above other items on her list which included, in her own words, “breaking a board with (her) hand and getting on rollerblades at age 45,” both unconfirmed as none of her offspring ever witnessed either event. Her kids and grandkids did, however, see her ride her first SeaDoo in Marco Island at the tender age of 69.

Linda, again in her own words, wants her family and friends to remember: “God was first! Family times were the best times. I want them to know I would sacrifice anything for them; I loved them dearly. I want them to remember my hugs, my belly shaking when we laughed… and we laughed often. I want them to remember my fried chicken and how much I loved to cook. And to remember - love covers a multitude of sins.” Those who knew and loved her will remember those things and so much more!

Linda was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Daniel Raymond Connor, as well as two siblings, Terrance and Richard Lee. Her memory will be treasured and kept alive by her three children and their spouses: Kathleen (& Brian) Kleiver of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Christopher (& Jennifer) Connor of Lake Orion, MI, and Elizabeth (& Dennis) Grounds of Okemos, MI; her three beloved grandchildren: Anna & Nicholas Grounds and Olivia Connor; her adorable cat, Simba; siblings Susan Pickles and William (& Christine) Lee and their families, her spiritual family at St. Luke Lutheran Church, as well as cherished friends near and far.

Those wishing to celebrate Linda’s life and pay respects to her family are welcome to a visitation at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home, 1730 E. Grand River Ave. in East Lansing on Thursday June 12th between 5 - 8pm.

Additionally, St. Luke Lutheran Church, 5589 Van Atta Rd. in Haslett will be holding a Memorial Service for Linda at 11am (as well as a brief visitation starting at 10am) on Friday June 13th.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Linda’s memory to either the St. Luke Lutheran Church Memorial Fund (www.knowingjesus.org/give), or to the ALS Association (www.als.org), in hopes of finding a cure for the disease which ultimately caused her death.

Linda will be greatly missed, but we find comfort knowing she has received the best gift of all… the one she was most looking forward to: eternal life through Jesus.