Linda Jane Baran

We mourn the passing of Linda Jane Baran (nee Gotheridge), 82, of Mesa, Arizona, who died February 9, 2025. Born in Gary, Indiana on November 8, 1942, to Ken and Darlene Gotheridge, she is survived by her brother Dan (Cheri), children Jeff (Dee), Ronda (Bob), Brent (Kim), Jason, and Jennifer (Matthew), the many grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom she adored, and her treasured cats, Darby and Ditto.

We are comforted in the faith that she is now reunited with her beloved late-husband, Ron Baran, and the late, great chinchilla, Gadget. Linda and Ron were inseparable through a 35-year marriage that was bound with unconditional love, uncontrollable laughter (spurred by her quick wit!), and, occasionally, a little harmless mischief. In retirement, they travelled the world together, including many of her favorite places in the UK, which also served to further the quest to explore her family history.

Linda was a genuine, kind and charitable soul – owing to her formative years raised in rural Seymour, Iowa. She cherished lifelong friends --whether the sirens of her “Cloverettes” group or Ambrose, her rascally pet crow-- across the country from California and to the Midwest. Many of those dear friends shared her faith and commitment to others as they served homeless families through her church ministry.

Family was a source of pride and she frequently shared her joy from news of graduations, births, new jobs, or, even better, some absurd thing one of us had done. She also counted as family her amazing neighbors – the “bonus” grandkids especially – who made her part of theirs and for whom Linda’s family will always be grateful.

Peace be with her.

A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date to enable friends and family to gather. Should friends desire, a charitable donation as an expression of sympathy can be made in Linda’s memory to the charity of their choice.