Linda Merten

Linda Merten, 63, of Corvallis passed away on March 27, 2012, in her home, surrounded by family, after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Jeff Merten; her four daughters, Julianne Muskat, Jennilyn Merten, Amy Merten and Janessa Hurd; and her siblings, Judy Jones, Patricia Anderson and Dan Eckles. She also leaves behind three grandchildren, Oskar (age 6), Evelyn (age 5) and Tulah (age 4). Linda was born in Whittier, Calif., to Frank and Joyce Eckles. Their family moved to Corvallis in 1964, where Linda’s parents operated the Riverview Marina for many years. Linda graduated from Corvallis High School and attended Oregon State University. She joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1969. Her faith and service to the Church became an important focus of her life. She met her future husband at OSU, and they were married on Sept. 4, 1970. Over the next several years, they were blessed with four lovely daughters, one of whom (Amy) is developmentally disabled. Caring for Amy inspired Linda to help other families in similar situations later in her life. Linda loved to garden and to preserve the bounty of the earth, and enjoyed sharing those skills with others. She was active in the preservation of her family’s genealogy, and dedicated herself to the research and collection of their history. One of her gifts was providing simple service at the right time to many people. She was a welcome confidence who loved the opportunity to ease the burden of others. In recent years, her greatest joy was becoming “Nana” to her three beautiful grandchildren. She loved them with all her heart, and spent as much time with them as possible. She will be sorely missed by those who knew her. In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation to the Perpetual Education Fund in care of McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. Fifth St., Corvallis, OR 97330. This fund helps educate young adults in the Third World countries. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, April 2, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4141 N.W. Harrison Blvd., Corvallis.

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Linda Merten

October 2, 1948 - March 27, 2012