Linda Streitfeld

Linda Brown Pearce Streitfeld, longtime resident of Bellingham, Washington, died June 29, 2024 in Lynden, Washington. She was born in 1928 in Chicago and, although she was born in Chicago, she spent her early pre-school years in Hungary, so the first language Linda learned was Hungarian. When her family returned to the US and she entered kindergarten, English was her second language. She adapted quickly and this experience led her to appreciate the use of language and she maintained competence in German through her life.

In 1949 she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University with a major in microbiology and 1962 she earned her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in Psychology. Linda spent the majority of her working life as a child psychologist, working in Columbus, Ohio and the public schools in Hawaii. Linda was fascinated with cultures and travel became her pathway to exploring and learning about the world. She insisted she had the gypsy spirit in her Hungarian blood, and we suspect this may be true because she spent much of her life exploring new places and experiencing new things.

Bellingham was her home in retirement, but she did move away once, only to return shortly thereafter admitting that Bellingham was where she wanted and needed to be. Linda married twice, but she preferred the independence and flexibility of being single. She is survived by a daughter, Jayne (Pearce) Petefish in Atlanta, GA, a son, Richard Pearce in Vermont, and 3 grandchildren.