Linda Marie Pereira

Linda Marie Kiser was born October 12, 1952, to Ed and Janet Witt Kiser in Wenatchee, Washington. Her parents separated and Linda moved with her mother to Dublin, California when she was 13 years old. In Dublin, she formed friendships that lasted throughout her life. She met Skip Pereira at a teen dance; and later in high school they had one class together, but did not really get to know each other until just after graduation. Linda refused to marry Skip until after he "turned 25 or had a college degree". She stayed in California, working in the credit card business for Amfact Co., when he went away to college in La Grande, Oregon. Linda and Skip sent letters to each other every day while apart, and were married on October 9, 1976 in Castro Valley, California. They lived in La Grande while Skip finished his schooling, and Linda worked as a bookkeeper and gas station attendant. Skip's first teaching job was at the Cove School, and Linda fell in love with the old Methodist parsonage house in Cove and bought it in 1984.

Linda remodeled the house, raised two daughters, ran a daycare out of her home, wrote poetry, children's books and an autobiography, cared for a variety of pets, served as a Girl Scout leader, and inspired a series of young artists by inviting high-school students to illustrate the children's books she wrote and published. When her children were older, she worked as a bookkeeper, in-home eldercare provider, and later was Director of Activities for Wildflower Lodge in La Grande.

Linda's greatest passion was always her immediate family,: Skip, Cassie, Carrie and Avery. She loved her home, and took great joy in the carpentry and other projects she designed over the years as she re-built and refurbished the house, gardens, and landscaping. A person filled with creativity, energy, and humor, she endeared herself to people wherever she went, and inspired her family and friends with her perennial optimism, frequent laughter, and almost unbelievable ability to enjoy profoundly even the less remarkable moments of her life. She liked to describe herself as someone who could "view the world with child-like wonder".

Linda loved horses, and owned five of them over the years. She liked action, activities, adventures and travel and loved planning trips for her family. She took her daughters to Europe, and traveled through several countries by train and bus. She loved riding a motorcycle, skiing, boating and hot-tubbing under the stars. In Cove, Linda was well known for her exuberance in decorating for holidays and special events, and no child in Cove would consider missing a stop at the Pereira's on Halloween.

She liked to get together with friends for an early morning chat over a cup of coffee, and for many years started every day with a 5:00 am visit to her great friend and neighbor, Al Sibley. Linda was a bargain-hunter extraordinaire, and loved finding treasures and coming across good sales. Her most recent new hobby, beading, was inspired and supported by finding beautiful old beads at second-hand stores and garage sales. Linda's ability to create really lovely bead necklaces gave her a constructive outlet for her artistic abilities during times when her physical movements were somewhat limited.

Throughout her adult life, Linda dealt with a series of health issues, always employing her ability to laugh and find joy, and repeatedly beating the odds and amazing her doctors. During the past two years, her final battle was with Leukemia. After being dazed to find out that neither Medicare nor her secondary health insurance would pay for the treatment she needed, Linda was amazed and overwhelmed by the generosity of family, friends and strangers. Over a 6-month period, $60,000 was donated to help Linda pay for the bone-marrow transplant that was her only hope for long-term survival, and Linda underwent the transplant in early June. Although in mid September this year it looked as if she might have beaten the odds one more time, the Leukemia then returned, and Linda passed away at her home in Cove, on November 25th.

She is survived by her husband, Skip Pereira of Cove; daughters, Cassie Yazdi of Castro Valley, California and Carrie Pereira of Boise, Idaho; granddaughter, Avery Pereira-Norton of Boise; and two sisters, Cindy Gonsalves of Vancouver, Washington and Karen Pape of Livermore, California.

A Celebration of Life will be held December 6th, beginning at 11:00 am with a service at Cove High School, followed by a graveside ceremony at the Cove Cemetery, and a community get-together afterwards at the Ascension School in Cove. Many people throughout the Grande Ronde Valley and beyond have felt a connection to Linda, and have sent their support and good wishes over the years. Skip wants all of you to know how grateful he is, and how very important each one of you was to Linda.

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