Linda Kay Alberts

Linda had courageously and gracefully faced a battle with cancer and Parkinson’s Disease for several years and had been living in Fort Collins with her son, Cameron, and his family up until the time of her passing.

Linda was born to Eloise and Virgil Harms on December 30, 1949, at Haxtun Hospital. She attended grade school in Paoli from 1955 until the Paoli school closed, after which she transferred to Haxtun where she completed grades 6-12. Linda lived on her parents’ farm two miles north of Paoli until her high school graduation in 1967. She briefly resided in Fort Collins, CO, to attend Burnel Hair Styling College from 1967-1968, graduating as a hair beautician.

After completing her education, she returned to the area and began working at Helen’s Beauty Salon in Holyoke in 1968. In December of 1968, her best friend Jeanette Riley (Williams) introduced Linda to her future husband, Vern Alberts, while “dragging main street” in Holyoke. In March of 1969, Linda became engaged to Vern, and by August of that year, they were married in the Methodist Church in Haxtun.

Linda and Vern initially lived on a ranch near Holyoke, where Vern worked, until they relocated to Holyoke in 1973 and purchased a home there in 1974. Linda dedicated herself to raising her two sons and briefly worked at the Holyoke Methodist Church until 1985 when she joined Prairie Vista Care Center in Holyoke. She began as the Social Services Administrator and later served as the Director of Assisted Living until 2005 when she assumed the role of Dietary Manager at Melissa Memorial Hospital until her retirement in 2015.

After her retirement, Linda was a wonderful, patient caregiver to her husband, Vern, who lost his life to Parkinson’s Disease and other chronic health issues in September of 2021.

Linda was a loving and caring mother, family member, and friend. She had a passion for reading and enjoyed camping and the outdoors. Actively involved in the community, Linda and Vern could often be found in the bleachers at Holyoke High School basketball and football games, surrounded by friends and family, or at community events related to her career or the church. She was also a member of a Holyoke-based quilting club.

Linda is survived by her sons Kirk and Cameron, her mother Eloise Harms, her brothers Duane and Damon Harms, and grandchildren Dryden, Esmae, Connor, Murphy, and Jonah Alberts. She is preceded in passing by her brother Alan Harms, her father Virgil Harms, and her husband Vern Alberts.

In lieu of flowers, the family hopes that donations can be made to Pathways Hospice in Fort Collins, CO by visiting https://pathways-care.org/give-now.

A small invitation-only celebration of life for Linda will be held by the family in Fort Collins later this month.