A Celebration of Life Service to honor the life of Linda Sue Kuhnau, age 77, will be held Saturday, November 7th at 11:30 AM at the LaCanne Family Celebration of Life Center in Jackson, with a time of visitation and gathering from 10:30 – 11:30 AM. A private family burial will take place on Saturday, November 14th.

A luncheon will take place following at the LaCanne Family Celebration of Life Center in Jackson following the Celebration of Life Service.

Linda passed away peacefully on Wednesday October 14th after a brief but courageous battle with Bulbar ALS.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to The ALS Association (www.als.org) or to Memorial Home Hospice through the Springfield Memorial Foundation (Giving Opportunities), whose compassionate care and support meant so much to Linda and her family.

Linda was born on August 10, 1949, in Heron Lake, Minnesota, to Russell and Orpha (Schottle) Kuhnau. She graduated from Heron Lake High School in 1967.

On April 21, 1968, Linda married Jerald Lee Spangler. They were blessed with three children, Shannon, Jerry Lee, and Sally. After beginning their life in Estherville, Iowa, the family moved to Jackson, Minnesota, in 1979.

Linda held several positions throughout her life, including work with the local Bell Telephone office and managing the Fabric and Craft Basement at Ben Franklin in Jackson. During that time, she also welcomed bonus children Brett, Pam, Brian, and Tracy into her heart and family.

In 1996, Linda became an event planner at the Best Western Hotel and Convention Center. It was there where she met the love of her life, Donald “Donnie” O'Brien. After months of conversations, long walks, and shared adventures in Florida, she moved to Greenview, Illinois, in 2003, where she and Donnie built a life together and shared nearly 30 wonderful years.

After moving to Illinois, Linda continued her retail career working at Kohls Department Store, where she retired after over 20 years of employment. Retirement boredom got the best of her, and she began working part-time at Middletown Bank.

Linda was creative and energetic, with a love for NASCAR races, navigating puzzles, playing games on her phone, and collecting things…LOTS of things! She was known for getting things done, often with an eye roll or expressive gesture, and for the pride she took in her children and grandchildren. Nothing brought her greater joy than bragging about them and sharing their accomplishments.

Linda is survived by her children, Shannon (Rob) Ewart, Jerry Lee Spangler, and Sally (John Hammer) Spangler; her life partner, Donald O'Brien; grandchildren Kevin Spangler, Austin Ewart, Yannik (Nikki) Spangler, Jordan Ewart, Antonia “Toni” Spangler, Jonas Spangler, Chloe Hammer, and JJ Hammer; great grandson, Demitri and siblings Sandra (Warren) Winkle, Butch Kuhnau, Dennis (Lexi) Kuhnau, and Russell “JR” (Monica) Kuhnau.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Russell Kuhnau and Orpha Kenyon; her uncle, Earnest Kuhnau; her sister, Janet Kuhnau; and her dear friend, Beth.

Linda will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Her memory will live on in the hearts of those she leaves behind.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to The ALS Association (www.als.org) or to Memorial Home Hospice through the Springfield Memorial Foundation (Giving Opportunities), whose compassionate care and support meant so much to Linda and her family.