Linda Pfau
Linda Lee (Merritt) Pfau, 80, died Dec. 28, 2020, at the Newton Medical Center Health intensive care unit in Newton, Kansas. She was born Oct. 28, 1940, in Ames, Iowa, to Lee and Evelyn (Lund) Merritt. On April 4, 1961, she married Melvin Eugene Pfau in Boulder.
Linda attended Colorado State University, where she met Mel, and later worked as an assistant dietician at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. Linda also worked in a variety of other positions over the years. She was a church secretary, worked in the scale house at the Yuma beet dump, was an administrative assistant in the Sherman County (Kansas) Extension Office and was a paraprofessional for speech services at USD 352.
Linda and Mel were members and actively involved in the United Methodist Church in Goodland, Kansas. Additionally, Linda and Mel were co-chairs of the Genesis Food Pantry of Sherman County for five years. It was important to Linda and Mel to raise food insecurity awareness in their community.
Linda was very active in many community, church and civic organizations throughout her life, including Philanthropic Educational Organization, United Methodist Bell Choir, a Girl Scout leader, volunteering for countless community or student fundraisers, serving as a foster parent and volunteering to help with children who were disabled, taking in teenagers who were displaced, and being nominated the Great Western Sugar Press Colorado Young Mother of the Year in 1974.
Linda especially enjoyed time with her family, spending time with her friends (which she always had plenty of), doing arts and crafts with her grandkids, visiting her beloved mountains in Colorado, reading, crafts, playing cards or Scrabble, the art of creating (including scrapbooking), genealogy, gardening (in which she was considered a master gardener) and visiting basically any casino with Mel.
She also loved traveling at any time, including her and Mel’s numerous retirement trips highlighted by visiting Europe. She talked about her memories of Paris, France, often. Most importantly though, she loved her family and grandkids most of all.
She is survived by her daughter, Kelli Pfau of Wichita, Kansas; son, Jon Pfau and Stacia of Ozawkie, Kansas; five grandchildren, Parker, Katherine, Haley, Braeden and Jenna; and brother, Richard Merritt of Bethesda, Maryland.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents and the love of her life, Mel, who preceded her in death by one week on Dec. 21, 2020.
The family planned to hold a celebration of life service for both Linda and Melvin.
Memorial donations in Linda’s name may be made to Genesis Food Pantry of Sherman County, P.O. Box 313, Goodland, KS 67735.
Petersen Funeral Home of Newton was in charge of the arrangements.