Linda Faye Rossman

Linda Faye Rossman of Lexington, MA passed away suddenly but peacefully at age 78 on January 30, 2026.

She was born in Philadelphia, PA to Joseph and Sarah Hertzberg, and was raised alongside her siblings, Chuck, Martha, and Gail, in Bryn Mawr, PA, where the family moved after their father began working for RCA Victor. Her father built a pool in their backyard, and Linda learned to swim by the time she was five years old. She was a graceful swimmer, and it was an activity she enjoyed all her life.

She attended Haverford High School where she excelled in English and Latin and wrote poems and articles for the school publication Pen and Ink. Sometime during her high school years she bought her first guitar. She began playing simple chords and tunes, laying the foundation for a lifelong passion.

After high school graduation, she attended University of Rochester for a short time, then transferred to New York University. There she met Howard Rossman, the love of her life. They connected over their shared love of cinema and music, and were married on November 18, 1967. They moved to the Boston area where they had their one daughter, Julie, in 1984.

Linda’s various interests led her to teach reading to deaf and blind students at Perkins School for the Blind and then to attend Simmons for library science, where she obtained a master’s degree. After graduate school she worked as a librarian at Mass School of Professional Psychology, and later returned to Perkins for the remainder of her career, where she was a reference librarian at the Talking Book Library for over twenty-five years.

During that period she continued to expand her musical interests, learning classical guitar (which she practiced every single day), recorder, lute, and cello. As a member of a small Renaissance and medieval music ensemble, she traveled to the Vatican where the group played for Pope John Paul II in 2008. She also played in the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra for over a decade, and with many other music groups throughout her life. Beyond music, she loved all art—she loved to read, write, and frequently painted with watercolors, acrylics, and oil—she loved taking painting classes, especially later in life.

Linda took long walks every day, and she often talked to people and made new friends she met along the way. She loved laughing and spending time with her family. All her life she retained a sweet, open spirit and childlike curiosity.

She is survived by her husband Howard, her daughter Julie Rossman, her sisters Martha Torn and Gail Watson, her nephew Steven Hertzberg, and her niece Robin Gill.

A graveside service was held on February 4, 2026 at the Westview Cemetery in Lexington, MA. A Celebration of Life will be held on a future date, to be determined. Please refer back for further details, which will be provided as soon as possible.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made in Linda's memory to Reproductive Freedom For All at www.reproductivefreedomforall.org/donate