Linda Rässa, 80, of the Upper West Side died peacefully at home, December 13, 2025. She was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany after her Estonian family fled Stalin's regime. The WWII resettlement program brought her family to the US. Linda graduated from Gowanda High School and attended RIT for fine arts, before she moved to NYC for the 1960s anti-war and civil rights movements, volunteering at Abbie Hoffman's Liberty House and participating in many counterculture efforts. During this time, she met her husband of over 20 years, Paul Oppenheimer. Later she earned an Art History BA Summa Cum Laude at Fordham University and an ESL Teaching Certificate at New School University. She formed lifelong friendships as a legal administrator at several NYC law firms. Linda attended many classes at the Art Students League, and she painted until the last day of her life. She is survived by daughters Julie and Rebecca Oppenheimer, her beloved dog Rosie, granddaughters Audrey and Hazel, her sister, and nephews.
