Linda Ellen Pearlstein

Linda was a New Year’s Eve baby, born December 31, 1940, in Washington, D.C. to Molly Golden and Harry Schechter, and raised in Arlington, Virginia. It was there she first developed what would become a lifelong love of art and music – mastering both cello and piano – and a fierce passion for American politics. Linda was a 15-year-old high school student when she first met Robert Pearlstein, then a fellow student at Washington-Lee High School; the two were married in 1960. She then attended George Washington University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy.

In 1966, Linda moved with her husband and then one-year-old son to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and became a reporter for the local newspaper, The Oak Ridger. Covering both the complex science and fraught politics of topics from nuclear energy to environmental engineering, Linda became a widely admired journalist, earning praise from both the politicians and scientists she covered, including a Journalism Award in 1976 from the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers for her “significant contributions to public knowledge and understanding of the role of engineering and technology in contemporary American life.” After the family left Oak Ridge in 1978, Linda continued to use her skill “translating science into English,” writing for a series of business and technology magazines throughout the 1980s-90s.

Linda found joy in so many parts of life, as a devoted concert-goer and art collector, a gifted baker, a beloved friend, and an intrepid traveler. But her greatest joy was her family, who will miss her dearly. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, her son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Connie Pearlstein; her daughter and son-in-law, Deborah Pearlstein and Christopher Chyba; and grandchildren Ben and Zoe Chyba. She is also survived by her brothers and sisters-in-law Richard and Gloria Pearlstein; Kenneth and Suzanne Pearlstein; Arthur Pearlstein; and many adored nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made in Linda’s name to the League of Women Voters.

A graveside service for Linda will be held Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 10:30 AM at Temple Beth Sholom Cemetery, 801 Circus Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34232. A memorial reception for Linda will follow the service in the chapel at Anchin Pavilion, Aviva Senior Living, 1951 North Honore Avenue, Sarasota FL 34235.