Linda Sue Anderson

Linda Sue Anderson, 77, of Oblong, IL, passed away on November 20, 2025, in the comfort of her friend’s home. Her story began on October 4, 1948, in Chandler, AZ, where she grew up beneath wide desert skies and found her very first love in life: ballet. At five years old, she slipped on tiny slippers and stepped into a world of music and movement. For three or four bright years, she twirled and leaped and shined, and she carried that joy with her for the rest of her life. Even in her seventies, she still kept ballerina slipper charms, proud reminders of a little girl who loved to dance.

Linda graduated from Chandler High School and entered the working world with the kind of determination that would shape the rest of her life. She joined Wendy’s and steadily worked her way up to district manager. The restaurant world fit her like a glove. She liked the pace. She liked the people. Work became one of the ways she connected with the world around her. People brought her life, and she poured that same energy back into them.

In 2019, she made a bold, beautiful change. She moved to Oblong to be closer to her nephew and niece, Brent and Debbie Anderson, and quickly wove herself into the fabric of a new community. She worked as a hostess at Midway Dine-In and later as a cashier at the Robinson Wal-Mart. She was beloved in both places. Customers looked for her. Co-workers leaned on her. Her presence was the kind that settled people and lifted them at the same time. Linda was, after all, an encourager by nature. She listened first, always. She put herself in your shoes before offering advice, but when she spoke, she spoke with honesty. If you were wrong, she told you, although always in a loving way. She wanted people to find the best in themselves and in their situations.

Linda’s world was shaped by people, yes, but also by the places she loved to share with them. She was never happier than when she was outside, breathing fresh air and taking in whatever scenery was in front of her. Back in Arizona, Roosevelt Lake was her quiet place, the spot where she cast her line and let the desert sun settle on her shoulders. After moving to Illinois, she found that same peace along the Wabash. Whether she was fishing, sightseeing, or simply watching the world go by, she loved taking in life as it unfolded.

And she loved sharing it with others. Bowling in leagues and tournaments gave her that same sense of being part of something. So did watching Jeff Gordon fly around the track or cheering for the Arizona Cardinals on Sundays. She treasured weekend cookouts with Brent and Debbie, lingering with them as long as the conversation carried. Linda could talk with anyone, learn from anyone, and she genuinely wanted to know the stories inside the people she met.

Her home held small glimpses of the things that made her smile, especially the sea turtles she collected. Some were tiny, some were worn from years of being moved from one shelf to another, and many were blue, of course. Blue was always the color she chose. It calmed her. It felt like her. And in the same way those little turtles reflected what she loved, the people in her life reflected who she was at her core.

The truest measure of Linda’s heart was found in her family. She was a devoted mother and grandmother, raising her granddaughters for years and caring for her son through thick and thin. She showed her love not through big declarations, but through the constancy of showing up, through the everyday faithfulness that holds a family together. Her people meant everything to her, and she built her life around loving them well. Her presence was a gift, and we know that her impact will be felt for years to come.

She is survived by her son, Randy Anderson of Oblong; by her granddaughters, Terra Anderson of Chandler, AZ, Kayla Anderson of Houston, TX, and Lynette Anderson of Chandler, AZ; and by a number of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edmond & Opal May (Golden) Ellsworth; by her sister, Janet Workman; and by her grandson, Kaeman Anderson.

Linda is to be cremated without a public service. The Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson is assisting her family at this time.