Linda Laureen McAlvey

Born in Lansing on November 14, 1952, the youngest child of Henry and Pauline Fink, Linda attended Lansing Everett High School, graduating in 1970. At Lansing Community College, Linda pursued her lifelong passion for nursing, graduating in 1972 with an AA in Nursing and becoming an RN. She began her nursing career at Sparrow Hospital, where she met a young Family Practice resident named Michael McAlvey. Mike and Linda were married on August 4, 1973, and moved to Hastings, MI, in 1975.

In Hastings, Linda worked as a nurse for the Barry and Eaton County Health Department and at Pennock Hospital. It was also there that Mike and Linda started their family, giving birth to and raising their three children. In 1994, Mike and Linda returned to the Lansing area, settling in Okemos, where they would remain for the rest of their lives. Linda continued pursuing her passion for nursing, returning to Sparrow as a nurse in the after-hours pediatrics clinic.

Linda retired from nursing in 2012 and devoted her time to her favorite role in life, Nana, to her three grandchildren. Linda and Mike also traveled the world together, visiting wonders such as the Great Wall of China, Chichen Itza, and Machu Picchu, as well as places like the Baltics, Scandinavia, Ireland, Morocco, and many others. They also shared their medical knowledge to help others by participating in numerous volunteer medical trips to Mexico, Ukraine, Guatemala, and Benin. In her later years, Linda developed a passion for genealogy and traced her family’s American roots back to the Mayflower. She also devoted many years to the Meridian Township Historical Society as a volunteer and board member.

Linda was preceded in death by her husband, Michael, in 2023, her parents, Henry and Pauline, and her brothers, Earl and David. She is survived by her children, Ryan (Christina) McAlvey, Leslie (Nathan) Wertz, and Chad McAlvey, and her grandchildren, Dominic, Malia, and Lydia Wertz.

Linda was an animal lover and a devoted pet owner throughout her life. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in Linda’s name to the IRONDOG Fund at the Michigan State College of Veterinary Medicine to help pets and their owners with financial need afford care.