Linda Sue Mann

Linda passed away on October 11, 2026, at Mill Pond Health Campus with her husband Fred and her boys by her side. She was born October 5, 1944, in Greencastle to Ayler “Doc” and Margaret Bunten Nelson. Linda was a member of Cataract Baptist Church and previously had attended Amity Baptist Church for many years where she taught Sunday School to her boys and many other children. Linda prayed for her sons each night at their bedside as they were growing into adulthood.

Linda graduated from Greencastle High School in the class of 1962. She was a cheerleader for the Tiger Cubs when Fred, a Cloverdale Clover, first noticed her. “She knocked me off my feet,” Fred often said. They married September 2, 1962. Linda and Fred started a family and a farming operation soon after marriage. They worked hand in hand. Fred often said. “Linda never told me no.”

As the farm grew, so did the family. We soon had four little boys. Things were good. Then the 1980’s farm crisis hit, things turned bad, with poor crops, drought, and high interest for a decade. We were in a pinch, and the older boys were reaching college age. Linda decided to pursue a nursing degree to help educate the boys. Linda enrolled in the Indiana State nursing program and commuted for two years while raising a family.

After graduation, Linda became a floor nurse at Putnam County Hospital. She later became an oncology nurse which became her passion. Linda has been recognized for her work in healthcare. In 2004, Linda was appointed to the Indiana State Nursing Board by Governor Joe Kernan. In 2005, she received the Sagamore of the Wabash for her efforts for rural health efforts. In 2008, Linda received the Putnam County Mental Health Person of the Year.

In 2004, Linda was inducted into the Putnam County Agriculture Hall of Farm for her efforts on the family farm. She served on the Cloverdale School Board from 2000 to 2012. Linda retired in 2010 and came home to farm with Fred and her boys as dementia was attacking her. The last two years of her life were spent at Mill Pond where Amanda Waller and Affinity Hospice provided such care for Linda.

Linda is survived by her husband Fred and sons Michael (Diana), Robert (Malinda), Christopher (Jennifer), Joseph (Angela), fourteen grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren (with another three on the way), sister Marcia Whaley, and eight nieces and nephews. Linda was preceded in death by her parents and sisters Nancy Baumgart and Carole Wright and brothers-in-law Ron Baumgart, Ned Wright, and Jerry Mann.

Funeral Services will be held at 1:00PM on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Hopkins-Rector Funeral Home. Interment will follow at the Forest Hill Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 11:oo AM on Friday until time of service at the funeral home.