Linda Herzog Sater

Mrs. Linda Irene Herzog Sater, of Glendale, Arizona, passed away in her sleep on April 6, 2025 at the age of 83. She was born on September 12, 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio and was the daughter of the late Albert and Anna (nee Schafer) Herzog. Linda was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Donald A. Sater. Linda is survived by her daughter, Amanda A. Sater of Albany, Oregon; her son John T. Sater, daughter-in-law Shawna Sater of Glendale, granddaughter Samantha N. Sater; brother Albert A. Herzog, sister-in-law Phyllis Herzog of Waukee, Iowa, nephew David Herzog, three great-nephews and one great-niece of Des Moines, Iowa.

Born to a first-generation Austro-Hungarian-American mother and an immigrant Austro-Hungarian father during World War II, Linda learned about economizing early on, which resulted in a lifetime of thriftiness. She took on a lot of the household duties at the age of nine, cooking and cleaning to help her mother and

helping care for her younger brother Albert. Linda was the first in the family to graduate from a university, Ohio Wesleyan, where she studied education and home economics. She was happily a member of Alpha Xi Delta and went to several reunions and maintained lifelong friendships with many of her sorority sisters.

Upon graduation, Linda worked as a Home Economics teacher. She continued that in that occupation, even as a newlywed, until her son was born, when her new occupation became a stay-at-home mother.

After her daughter arrived (nearly four years later, complete with a matching dimple on her face), Linda continued to stay at home with John and Amanda and was a loving, caring mother who made home cooked meals and encouraged her children to be creative and thrive both physically and mentally. During this time, Linda’s parents moved to Sun City, Arizona. Don, Linda and the children visited several times before deciding that they would leave the snow far, far behind and moved to Arizona as well.

Growing up in Cleveland in a neighborhood diverse in nationalities, Linda prided herself on being able to pronounce even the most difficult of last names. Although she heard some German and Hungarian at home, Linda studied French in high school. She often lamented not getting to go on the Paris high school trip (instead having to “settle” for Quebec, Canada), so when the family traveled to Europe in 2000, Amanda took Linda on a short side trip to Paris. Linda saw all the famous Paris sites, took a cruise down the Seine River, and practiced her French speaking skills. Even with 40 years in between, she was not too rusty! Linda attended Collingwood High and kept in touch with many of her fellow classmates. She returned to Ohio for several of the 10-year reunions.

Grocery shopping was never a one-store event. Each week, Linda would go through the newspaper, clipping coupons and finding items the household needed at each of the different local grocery stores near our home. She would tear one-sided paper in half, then fold the half in half, and use those halves as her grocery list and coupon holder. No wasting paper for Linda! She was merely being frugal—little did she know she was an environmentally responsible trend setter! The whole “reduce, reuse” movement had nothing on her. After planning her route, she would do her grocery shopping in the most economical way and come home bragging about how much money she saved. She also could be creative with menus when times were tight, tuna casserole and “chicken and rice business” being two recipes. She was dedicated to finding a good bargain, and she would shop until she dropped (lots of shopping bags in her bedroom) at the mall. She was adept at finding designer clothes at super sale prices. Diamonds, Dillard’s, Goldwater’s, Macy’s, Robinsons-May—she shopped them all as long as she got a good deal.

Her mental math skills were off the charts—she could tell her daughter what the sale price was in 10 seconds or less. While in line at the store, Linda always struck up conversations with other customers. She was friendly, but also digging for information to increase her sale shopping skills. Further proving her ability to bargain, Linda would barter her sewing skills (mending, hemming) for haircuts and piano lessons.

Sewing was a strong theme in her life. She made her family clothes, curtains for the windows, and for the last few decades, quilting. Don and John had matching “relaxing suits.” She made John and Amanda Halloween costumes that then often transitioned into pajamas (another example of her frugality). One year they were both striped cats, complete with a long, stuffed tail. She was incredibly proud that both of her children are skilled at sewing—John at upholstery and Amanda at quilting. She was a member of several quilting groups, the Night Owls being one. She was considered “a favorite to many of us” by quilting friends. Working on charity quilts filled her with a sense of joy and pride. Providing quilts for children in need was important to her and she hoped that when those children wrapped themselves in her quilts, it was like a hug from her. Even when mobility and memory challenges plagued her last years, Linda continued to piece tops and sew bindings on quilts. She also enjoyed being a member of the Heart Quilt committee and was always on the lookout for patterns featuring hearts. She received her own heart quilt from that committee when her husband passed. She also knit caps for preemie babies.

As her children grew, Linda substitute taught at Sunset Elementary School and volunteered in the library. It was there she realized what she wanted to do for a career. Don supported her when she needed to go to ASU to earn credits in library science to qualify for a new teaching endorsement. The children suffered through Don’s “Army-learned” cooking, where if it did not taste good or was charred, you just dumped catsup on it. One of Linda’s amazing skills as a librarian was to bring old, musty school collections (she got rid of a book in the 1990s titled “When man walks on the moon!”) into a hub where modern literature abounded and students were eager to find something new to read. She purged and rebuilt collections for three schools, Scott-Libby Elementary, Litchfield Elementary, and Deer Valley Middle School (where she retired) and got to build a collection from scratch for Western Sky Middle School (in Litchfield Park). She was part of the Arizona Library Association (member and officer), and as part of a committee, got a copy

of the first Harry Potter book before it was released in America and got to recommend which books came up for literary awards. When parents challenged books, she faced them down and not one book in her library was ever banned. She asked family or students to read a book, then write about it on an index card. She used these cards to recommend books to students who came asking for a book about an interest (sports, wizardry, etc.). She was passionate about young students reading. At Deer Valley, Linda quickly saw that there were a high number of English Language Learners and immediately purchased a collection of Spanish books that students could take home and read to their younger siblings, allowing all students to access reading in their first language while also supporting them learn English. An avid reader herself, she enjoyed a good mystery and Regency or spicy Romance novels (the chili peppers the better).

Linda was a member of the United Methodist Church. She loved the sense of fellowship and opportunities to sing. When her children were younger, she would play the piano for them. Linda had a deep sense of service without expectations of recognition. She took care of her ailing mother and then her husband when his health began to fail. She freely gave that care with grace and love, despite the costs to her own well-being. As respite, she would come to Oregon to spend time with her daughter and travelled around the state Quilt Shop Hopping. On the return trip, if a Dairy Queen was on the horizon, Linda asked to stop and got a chocolate dipped ice cream cone. It became a signature closing to some fantastic road trips. A lot of quality time is to be had in the car on a shop hop!

When Linda was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, she chose to fight with all the medical might she could and went through lumpectomy surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy—even through the grief of losing her husband shortly after she was diagnosed. The cancer was beaten, but the chemo affected her short-term memory. After some other medical issues, she lost much of her mobility. Amanda spent several months helping her regain some of her mobility, but she was never able to return to living in her house. She kept a positive attitude by joking, “It’s about time somebody cared after me!”

Her family and friends will miss her sense of humor, her bright smile, the ability to keep moving forward believing “this too shall pass,” her cooking skills, her creativity, her support of whatever endeavor her children were interested in (taking on roles of Cub Scout Den Mother and Girl Scout Troop Leader, giving up the garage for many years in support of John’s upholstery business, and having her daughter move far away), her ability to be a true friend, her empathy, her emotional support and most of all, her limitless supply of love.

A visitation for Linda will be held Thursday, April 17, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Chapel of the Chimes Mortuary, 7924 North 59th Ave, Glendale, Arizona. A funeral service will follow Thursday, April 17, 2025 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, also at Chapel of the Chimes Mortuary.

A graveside service will occur Thursday, April 17, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM at National Cemetery of Arizona, 2929 E Pinnacle Peak Rd, Phoenix, Arizona.