Linda Marie Dunn

Linda Marie Dunn passed away on January 12, 2025, at the age of 74. She was born in Detroit on July 15, 1950, to John and Betty Jane (nee Moschina) Fennell. She remained a resident of Detroit until 1989, when her family moved to St Clair Shores.

Linda was predeceased by her loving husband of 50 years, Mark J. Dunn, who died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s in 2023. Linda and Mark married in 1973, having known each other growing up. They attended the same grade school (St. Matthew’s in Detroit) and high school (Bishop Gallagher), and their families each had cottages on Anchor Bay that were one house apart.

Linda and Mark were extremely supportive and each acted in the best interests of the other; a strong base to start a family. Together, Linda and Mark raised three loving sons: Mark (oldest), Kevin (middle), Brian (youngest). She also had three grandchildren, Jacob and Ethan (sons of Mark and wife Gabriella), and Harper (daughter of Kevin and wife Meredith).

Linda is also survived by her four siblings: Betty (Earl) Rondy, John (Charlotte) Fennell, Janet (Tom) Riopelle and Martin (Kelly) Fennell, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, and great-nephews.

Linda was a teacher for over 40 years, specializing in early childhood development. She started at Guardian Angels in Detroit, then worked at St. Matthew's in Detroit, where she started the preschool and latchkey programs. She then moved to Detroit Public Schools, pursued her master's degree in Special Education and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and finished her career in the Van Dyke Public School system.

Family was most important to Linda. She was a devoted parent, ensuring her sons had access to whatever educational or extracurricular opportunities that could help them develop and find their own paths to success. (Going back to a public school system helped fund this devotion by contributing to college tuition.) And she was a very involved grandparent; her skill set equipped her with nearly limitless patience and creativity for entertaining and educating her grandchildren.

Linda was deeply devout and attended church regularly throughout her entire life. The routine and ritual of mass gave her comfort when her husband Mark's health was failing. Even when she wasn't physically able to attend, she always watched mass online, and a dear friend brought her communion with a gluten-free host every Sunday. Linda's faith was expressed in a lifelong concern for the well-being of others. She had a limitless well of patience for the special needs children she taught for years.

Linda loved being on the water - at her family cottage growing up on Lake St Clair, her son Kevin's home on Anchor Bay, on the family boat, and fishing. She was a member of St Joan's Walking with Purpose group and regularly attended meetings at the Helm for the Alzheimer's support group. She loved to watch the Tigers and Wolverine football and looked forward to watching every Lions game this season.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 16th, from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm at A.H. Peters Funeral Home, 20705 Mack Ave., at Vernier Road in Grosse Pointe Woods. A Rosary will be recited at 7:00 pm. Linda will lie in-state on Friday, January 17th from 9:30 am until the time of Mass of the Resurrection at 10:00 am at St. Joan of Arc Church, 22412 Overlake St. in St. Clair Shores. Linda will be buried next to her beloved Mark at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township.

Memorial contributions may be made in Linda’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association (act.alz.org), to provide care and support to families impacted by this terrible disease and accelerate research for a cure.