Linda L. Harrold

Linda Louise Harrold passed away peacefully at 83 in her home on January 31, 2022, after six months of treatment for Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma had failed to stop its progression.  Linda was born on August 30, 1938 at Sparrow Hospital where her grandfather, George F. Bauch, M.D., had served as the first Chief of Staff and where she returned after retirement to volunteer for many years.

A natural connector and communicator, Linda (our Mom, Granny and friend) was our linchpin and provided an example of a life lived fully and well.  A high school cheerleader, she graduated from East Lansing High School in 1956 where she was involved in the theater and never missed a dance.  She enjoyed playing the piano, especially her mother’s original composition.  While there, she met her husband Mark (m. 1959, d. 1976) during a ballroom dance class.  She earned a B.S. in Nursing at Michigan State University where she pledged Kappa Alpha Theta.  She moved around the country with Mark and had three children while he attended medical school and did his residency, plus served as a Marine assigned to the Navy during the Vietnam war.  She rejoined the workforce as an R.N. for Ingham County Health Department’s Immunization Clinic, retiring at the close of 2000.

A Spartan fan to the end, she rarely missed football and basketball games but was most excited by her children’s and grandchildren’s accomplishments.  She went to events at the Wharton Center, read constantly and completed the LSJ’s crossword puzzles daily.  A lifelong bridge player like her dad (a Michigan winner in the 1937 Contract Bridge Olympics), Linda enjoyed playing with her groups through 2020.  Linda enjoyed traveling to visit her kids and grandkids, new countries, the gorgeous Sleeping Bear Dunes area and Florida to escape harsh winters.  Her mainstay on Saturday nights was dinners out with wonderful friends.

She was gracious to the core, someone who maintained countless lifelong friendships and who our friends and spouses referred to with affection from the moment they met her.  Linda started recycling in the 1970’s – driving to centers to toss glass into bins separated by color and leave stacks of newspapers – and reused plastic as much as possible.  Although punctual herself, she would fully agree with the Samuel Beckett quote: “There is something… more important than punctuality, and that is decorum.”  She spoke often of her hope for a return to civil discourse in politics and in the country in general.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents Walter “Bill” S. and Christine L. Nugent of East Lansing, MI, her first husband Mark W. Harrold, M.D., of Lansing, MI and second husband Ronald R. Pentecost of East Lansing, MI.  She is survived by her brother George S. Nugent (Marilyn) of East Lansing, MI and by her children Dana L. Harrold of Palo Alto, CA, David F. Harrold (Monica) of Jackson, MI and Amy C. Hobson (Bryan) of Kuna, ID.  She is also survived by seven beloved grandchildren Amanda C. Haines (Jordan), Joey B. Hobson, Christina J. Hobson, Jesse D. Hobson (Megan), Ryan M. Harrold, Evan D. Harrold and Luke T. Harrold, plus two great-grandchildren Asher A. Haines and Annie C. Haines.

Linda’s life will be celebrated at a private graveside service on February 4 with family at the Evergreen Cemetery as she requested. Although she would never solicit donations, Linda contributed to too many organizations to list.  In lieu of flowers, she would appreciate contributions to local public radio and TV (www.wkar.org/ways-to-support-wkar) or the local trail system around her home (www.lansingtrails.org/donate). Arrangements are by the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel.

Rest in peace, Mom.  We miss you.