Linda Frances Whitney
RICHFORD – Linda Frances Whitney, 70, passed away on September 16, 2021, at her home in Richford Center.
Linda was born in St. Albans on January 15, 1951, to Francis and Barbara (Guilmette) Whitney. Linda was raised in Richford, a town that she was proud to call home her whole life.
From an early age, Linda lived a life of hard work and selfless giving. She loved working alongside her father on the home farm but did not shy away from helping her mother and older sister with looking after her younger siblings. Through it all, she still managed to find the time to enjoy herself on the basketball court at Richford Jr. – Sr. High School, where she graduated in 1969.
On the surface, Linda was a rugged, hard-working dairy farmer with impeccable Yankee ingenuity, but at heart, she was a Renaissance woman. Whether it was working in the cafeteria at Jay Peak, running Corky’s Night Club with her family in the 1980s, exploring her knack for art & crafts, becoming an LNA, or even pursuing her pilot’s license, there wasn’t a challenge nor opportunity that she didn’t meet head on.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Linda took over the family farm where she worked tirelessly without taking a sick day or vacation – except for that one time she won a trip to the Bahamas, a well-deserved blessing of good fortune in her eyes. In spite of herself, the livelihood of a dairy farmer was never enough, and she often worked multiple jobs outside of the farm, like behind the Deli counter at the Pinnacle Peddler where she was more than happy to take your order and catch-up with many friends and family members passing through the store.
For the last 15 years, Linda enjoyed working at the Ave Maria Community Care Home where she began working in Resident Activities before moving on to housekeeping and direct care. In her off-hours, she worked for JaniTech, cleaning the local banks, and, not to be outdone, she recently started a fourth job working at the Boston Post Dairy. Linda continued to work on the family farm, where she worked closely with her niece and nephew, Nicole and Adam Whitney, with whom she was proud to share the passion and tradition of farming.
Linda enjoyed gardening, and when she wasn’t selling her produce at the Richford Farmers’ Market, she was more than happy to share what she had with her family, friends, and the community. She enjoyed cooking and baking for “Sunday Suppers” with the family, but she was most proud of the annual Christmas Eve celebrations that she held at her home where many came, and all were welcome. When time allowed, she loved to read and to watch British comedies and crime dramas. Linda loved animals and nature, but especially loved being on her farm. Here, she felt most at home. Most of all, she cherished the long conversations with her children and her mother, along with any opportunity to bring the family together.
Linda is survived by her children, Amy Whitney and her partner Erik Bushey of Fairfield, and Sean Whitney and his wife Amber (Adams) of Swanton; her mother, Barbara L. Whitney of Richford; her siblings, Judith Jacobs and her husband Stephen of Richford, Francis Whitney Jr. of Richford, and his partner Kathy Martin, Jill Nutting-Comes and her husband Tim of Leicester, Barbara Jean Whitney of Richford, John Nutting and his partner Kelly Thompson of Richford, Jacqueline Larivee and her husband Dan of Franklin, and cousin James Guilmette of Richford, who was like an older brother to her; several nieces & nephews, great-nieces & nephews, cousins, and many dear and special friends.
She was predeceased by her father, Francis Sr.; her close friend and father of her children, John Lagrow; sister-in-law Lora (Howard) Whitney; and a dear cousin, Carroll McAllister.
Family and friends are invited to Linda’s life celebration, to include visitation, on Thursday, September 30, 2021, from 4:00-7:00 PM at the Goss Life Celebration Home, 96 Dickinson Ave., Enosburg Falls. Interment will be held privately at a later date at the Richford Center Cemetery.
For those who wish, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Linda’s honor to: Northwest Family Foods, 5 Lemnah Drive, St. Albans, VT, 05478 or Franklin County Animal Rescue, 30 Sunset Meadows, St. Albans, VT, 05478.
