Linda Rae (Gordon) Miska, loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and teacher, age 77, passed away in Plano, TX, on April 6, 2025 after a 16-year battle with breast cancer. A visitation for Linda will be held Tuesday, April 22, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Ted Dickey West Funeral Home, 7990 President George Bush, Dallas, TX 75252. A funeral service will occur Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 10:30 AM at St. Andrew Methodist Church, 5801 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093. A burial committal will occur Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 1:30 PM at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75211.
Linda was born in Breckenridge, MN, September 9, 1947, to Walter and Esther Gordon. She graduated from Wahpeton High School in 1965 and attended North Dakota State College of Science and North Dakota State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education. She also earned her master’s degree in education from North Texas State University. Linda retired in 2010 after her 40-year career in secondary education, including 27 years as an eighth-grade English teacher at Carpenter Middle School in Plano, TX where she was awarded Teacher of the Year in 1994.
Linda married Ronald J. Miska on August 8, 1970. They moved to Texas from Minnesota in the late 1970’s, eventually setting down new roots in Plano, TX in 1983, where they continued to raise their two children and enjoy the rest of their 40-year marriage until Ronald’s death in 2010.
After retirement, Linda remained involved in her community and continued her lifelong love of reading, participating in multiple book clubs until her death. She was an active member of Texas Retired Teachers Association, Delta Kappa Gamma, and Sons of Norway. She was also a member of St. Andrew Methodist Church, Chancel Choir, and Sarah Sisters Circle.
Preceded in death by parents Walter and Esther Gordon and husband Ronald J. Miska, she is survived by two children, William Miska of Sachse, TX, and Elizabeth Miska of Plano, Texas; brother Walter G. (Patricia) Gordon of Fargo, ND; good friend Arne Hatlestad of Plano, TX; sisters-in-law Marion (Frank) Hickman Pace, Jane (Glenn) Sirek of Alexandria, MN, and Diane (Dan) Yatskis of West Fargo, MN; brother-in Law Curtis (Becky) Miska of Richland, WA, and 11 nieces and nephews.
Donations may be made in her memory to the Plano Retired Teachers Association Children’s Book Project. To donate, please mail a check payable to PRTA Book Project to:
PRTA c/o Jayne Myhre
4020 River Branch Trail
Plano, TX 75024
