Linda Louise Brinkert was born at home on the family farm near Primghar, Iowa, the youngest of five children of Irvin F. and Norma H. (Steuck) Brinkert.
She attended country school for her first year of education where her mom was the original “hot lunch lady”, bringing a hot meal to Linda and her siblings every day and causing much envy in the other students with their cold sandwiches. In first grade, she transferred to the public school in Primghar and graduated from there in 1969. She furthered her education at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, receiving her BA and later, her MA in physical education. She taught for a year at Calmar, Iowa and then worked at several other businesses before retiring due to ongoing health issues.
Linda was an avid volunteer for her church and other charities. In her spare time she enjoyed gardening and sewing crafts. She had always loved being outdoors and would help out on the farm whenever an extra person was needed…she was especially good at driving the tractor for baling hay.
Among the athletic teams she followed were the Iowa Hawkeyes, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins. In her youth, she collected baseball cards and played softball herself – until she got hit in the face by a line drive resulting in a serious eye injury.
On Thursday, August 7, 2025, Linda passed from this life at the age of 73 years. Preceding her were her parents, Irvin and Norma Brinkert; and her sister, Ileene Piehl; and her great-niece, Elisabeth Brinkert.
Left to cherish her memory are her brothers: Ron Brinkert and Roger Brinkert; her sister, Jan Gambaiani; brother-in-law, Wayne Piehl; and 13 beloved nieces and nephews. She always remembered their birthdays and took great pride in all their accomplishments.