Linda Sue Espiritu Santo

Following a sudden rapid decline in health at 81, Linda (Henson) Espiritu Santo passed away peacefully in her home on May 23, 2026 being cared for by her family and friends (hospice). Loved ones were by her side during her beautiful transition to her real “Home” sharing music, memories, and conversations about family, spirituality, and eternal life. Linda Sue Henson was born March 8, 1945 in Xenia, Illinois, the oldest child of Alice and Olen Henson. Born in a military family, she moved a lot in her youth with her brother Donn, living in exotic places like Hawaii (her favorite place) and Japan and she quickly developed a love for other cultures, especially indigenous peoples and their communal way of life. Immersed in the Christian community she had been raised in (for five generations), she treasured its structure, continuity of tradition, and how it united family with divine purpose towards a higher goal. She was dedicated to justice, peace, charity, service, grace, and uplifting the souls of all she came in contact with through her religious ideals. It is no surprise then that she attended her religion's college, Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa where she majored in English and minored in Spanish due to her verbal-linguistic intelligence and expressive social qualities. Before she graduated, she went on a class trip to the outskirts of Mexico City with Spanish students where she met Eugenio Espiritu Santo (native to the area), who was working towards his engineering degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and they fell in love. She was drawn to the Hispanic way of life for its warmth, close-knit family values, vibrant celebrations, and respect for elders and tradition that she was deeply aligned with. One year after her graduation (1967), Linda married Eugenio and they moved to Beloit, Wisconsin merging two very different worlds fully encompassing the other's family with constant trips and visitors; the home was always a lively place with continual gatherings of family and friends! Although she initially attempted a career as an English teacher where she could utilize her language skills, social strengths, and literary mind, this was a short phase as she became a mother and homemaker, having her first child Alisa in 1969. Her second child, Gregg, was born in 1972 and thereafter they moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa for Eugenio's work at General Electric where Jana was born in 1980 and then Todd in 1982; so she certainly had her hands full! With her husband occupied with an incredibly demanding career, she raised her four kids as an archetypal mother, loving nurturer, and devoted caretaker who sang to them while playing the guitar, always uplifting their spirits with love, joy, and laughter. Her beautiful voice also sounded like a musical instrument and her laughter a harmonious melody resonating with their souls. Besides being dedicated to maintaining a healthy, positive, and wholesome environment for her family, she was an excellent cook, famous for her flan dessert and Mexican casseroles. She did not hold back on Thanksgiving and had a passion for bringing family together with great food! It was easy for her to bring people together in various contexts as she possessed a bright intellect, optimistic spirit, and social butterfly nature. Her smile would light up a room and cheer any of those lucky enough to cross paths with her, as she radiated warmth and beauty both within and without. To have a conversation with her would instantly lift the mood with a happy vibe.

When her husband landed a job in aerospace (NASP program), the family moved to Southern California (Newbury Park) in 1988. With the kids more grown, she was able to volunteer for Catholic Charities to express her passion for helping people in need. The large Hispanic community in the area put her Spanish-speaking and cultural integration skills to service, as well as her personal experience uniting cultures in her own family. She developed care for the rights of Mexican immigrants working in the fields for suboptimal wages concerned with the social injustice of cultural/racial prejudice and labor inequality. For many years, she worked alongside Ruben Castro, famous in the Moorpark area (recognized by President Reagan and the Pope) for his community service helping to alleviate poverty and provide youth education for Latinos. Empowering Hispanic women was also a focus for her as she took initiative to help them with information and resources towards learning English and adapting to the American way of life to better their situation. Shining bright in this field, she eventually became a full-time case worker for Catholic Charities working at multiple branches across Ventura county till the late 1990s, and this brought together her many talents including her humanitarian drive, her passion to creatively network with potent people skills, her terrific memory and attention to facts, and flexibility to work with diverse peoples and unique situations. Christmas time gave her great joy when she was able to volunteer for the “Toys-for-Tots,” an organization giving thousands of low-income families food baskets and presents for their young children during the season of giving; this is simply one of many examples of the caring activities she participated in. In addition to being very empathetic at work, she was also this way in her personal life with family and friends. What made her a great friend was her empathy, terrific listening skills, and great sense of humor towards the ironies of life as she accepted human weakness and fragility. When she had advice, it was solid and practical, but when she didn't she simply remained fully present to what was being shared as a compassionate friend; she was humble, authentic, and aware of the limits of her wisdom and embraced the unknown and continual process of learning through experience. Prayer was an extremely important tool for her as she prayed for everyone in her life, including a single interaction with a stranger; she hoped each could successfully resolve their challenges and find their way out of spiritual darkness. She deeply believed in a divine purpose and that everything moves towards the good despite our hardships, which are our lessons to overcome; her commitment to positive outcomes and high spirits have comforted many in times of turmoil.

During the early 90s, she became part of the official priesthood in the Community of Christ involved with church services, outreach community programs, translation work for conferences, planning retreats, and more. Even though she loved traditional Christian values, she had a gift for initiating novel and innovative methods in missionary work including in-home church services (Conejo Valley Fellowship), at home ministry with personalized teachings, unique forms of celebration, and community-building activities, and this greatly flourished when she became a supportive leader in the Hispanic community. After the premature death of her husband in 1998, she eventually gained a full-time paid position as a Seventy for the Community of Christ till retirement in 2018 (even though she still continued to volunteer afterwards). She helped in the building of churches, development of services, and community events for Hispanic fellowship in Mexico and Los Angeles with the expansion of the Church. In South Central Los Angeles, she helped found (along with Sergio and Sara Juarez), La Nueva Esperanza en Christo (name given to the church by Linda) and was co-pastor in 2001. She also made trips to Cabo, Tecate, El Sauzal (in Ensenada) to help their congregations thrive, acting as a loving bridge between people with vast theological, political, and personality differences. Able to see the bigger picture, both sides of all situations, and the various half-truths of life, she always sought peace, harmony, and the reconciliation of disputes, and for us to recognize the one Spirit that unites us all, a simple but hard truth to live by. It is no coincidence then, that her married last name, “Espiritu Santo,” means “Holy Spirit” in Spanish. In addition to Hispanic focus, she also worked at Temple City, the LA Stake, Camp Buckhorn Reunions, and the World Conference in Independence, Missouri. Known for her purity of heart and good intentions, her dedication to loving kindness flowed through her ministries. While her accomplishments in the church are far and great, she never pushed her religion on her children, encouraging them to develop independent minds as to follow a path of their own making. For her, religion was ultimately personal and not something to push on others, and as a woman of diversity and inclusion, she took a nonjudgmental stance, seeing how the many paths of life lead to the same destiny, our ultimate unity with God The All. Besides the outflow of her gifts in the public realm, her family and friends were blessed by her generous spirit, big heart, and ability to have amazing times together regardless of differences that normally divide people. She was constantly making trips to visit family, both immediate (California, Hawaii, Montana) and extended (Illinois area and Mexico City) even in her final years; and before her death she planned to visit both her relatives in the midwest and in Mexico this year. Tragic that this cannot come to fruition given her unforeseen health problems and passing, she was at least socially active and mentally sharp up to the very end. That she will be deeply missed by all, relatives, friends, and even acquaintances is an understatement, but her light and beautiful essence will continue to shine in our hearts. May we be reminded of her by the beauty of nature which she appreciated daily such as flowers, mountains, sunshine, and beautiful sunsets. Her brother Donn, her four children, and her four grandchildren (Sydnee, Dustin, Sophia, and Eugenia) survive her passing.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Outreach International ( https://outreach-international.org/ ). The memorial service will be on June 20th at the Community of Christ Church in Simi Valley, California at 2pm.