Linda Eilene Sturenburg Jorgensen

As you all know, our mother was an extremely caring, loving and kind person. She was born in Vancouver and raised by her incredible parents Harry and Hazel Sturenburg, whom some of you may remember. It is from her fantastic upbringing that she developed many of her great qualities and values. She grew up in Vancouver, attending Lord Byng Secondary and then the University of British Columbia. She excelled academically skipping a grade in high school and then entering an accelerated program at UBC to finish her teaching degree in three years, graduating from university at the young age of 19.

It was in university that mom met her husband, Michael (more well-known as Mickey and I am sure many of you will remember him as well). Mickey, our father, was also studying at UBC to be a Chartered Accountant. After meeting Mickey, mom’s teaching career soon came to an end as they married after knowing each other for about 6 months and had a family of 3 sons Michael, Ronald and David. Our father passed away in 1990 and we continue to miss him dearly as well.

Mom stayed home to focus on raising her 3 sons and she was the best mother anyone could have ever had. We did not always make things easy for her, but she was always there for us and would always stick up for us in any situation (whether we were right or wrong did not really matter that much). She was kind and caring and would always welcome our friends in our home, which seemed to be a popular place around dinner time quite often. One of our high school friends commented on her passing that she was not just our mom, but she was also “mom to many of us”. Her door was always open and her love available for any of the neighborhood kids who needed help, advice or just someone to listen.

When we were young mom was a Sunday school teacher and volunteered in the school library. We remember how embarrassing it was to come to school and have your mom there keeping an eye on you. As her kids grew older and she had more time available she volunteered at the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver visiting with terminally ill kids. Our mother was a very special person and she had a way of influencing all the people she met. She had a gift for making each one of them a better person and making the world a better place to live in.

Our mother was kind and caring and generous and would always put her family ahead of herself. She was a great cook and could whip up any gourmet dish like it was nothing and she loved to cook for her family and for the whole neighborhood for that matter. She enjoyed horticulture and was involved in various plant clubs and went on expeditions in search of new plant species trekking through jungles in Papua, New Guinea, Columbia and Ecuador. Mom also loved her cats, once bringing 4 abandoned kittens into the house, who soon became as spoiled as us, her son’s. Mom was very involved in Little League Baseball, helping to run the concession stand while her husband coached our teams.

In 2009 our brother David passed away. Prior to David’s death he produced a granddaughter for our mother, Chloe Victoria Jorgensen, who was born in 2003. For a number of years before and after David’s death mom looked after and raised Chloe until she was no longer able to do so due to the progression of her cancer. Chloe is now living in California with her maternal grandmother and will forever remember and love her “Nana”.

We already terribly miss our mother and will always miss her kindness, her guidance, her sense of humour and mostly her love. We were fortunate to spend much time with mom in recent years and we were closer to her than we have been since we were young children in her passing.

Mom you will be forever remembered and loved by the many people who have had the honour to know you. Your influence in so many lives will continue on. Your family greatly appreciates all of the sacrifices you have made for us and for always being there for us. We feel so lucky to have had such an amazing mother. We love you mom.

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JORGENSEN, Linda Eilene

June 29, 1943 – June 4, 2013

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our dear Mother Linda after a battle with cancer. Born in Vancouver to parents Harry and Hazel Sturenburg, Linda was predeceased by her husband Michael in 1990 and her son David in 2009. Linda will be forever loved and remembered by her two sons Michael and Ron, her granddaughter Chloe and many other friends and family. Linda graduated from UBC at the age of 19 and after a short career as a schoolteacher she married and focused on raising her 3 sons. She also volunteered as a Sunday-school teacher, in the school library and at the BC Children’s Hospital. Linda was well-known for her kind and caring nature and her love of children, cats, cooking and horticulture. A service to celebrate Linda’s life will be held at Hamilton Harron Funeral Home, 5390 Fraser St, Vancouver at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, 2013. Condolences may be sent to www.HamiltonHarronFunerals.com.