Linda Mae WhiteHesston, KS

Linda Mae White, age 81, passed away Sunday, February 22, 2026 at her home surrounded by family. Linda was born on June 3, 1944 in Newton, KS to Cornie and Nellie Dyck, rural Newton. She grew up on a farm and loved it, especially being outside with the animals and working in the fields. Her grade school years were spent in Prouty School and high school years at Newton High, graduating in 1962. Linda’s dad would often tell her she should be a nurse by the way she cared for sick animals. After working a year at the General Conference Headquarters in Newton, she entered Bethel College and graduated from Bethel Deaconess Hospital nursing diploma program in 1967. During her psychiatric training at Osawatomie State Hospital, an incident happened which made Linda decide she wanted to be a psychiatric nurse.

She started her psychiatric nursing career at Prairie View in Newton, then went on to Wesley Hospital in Wichita, out to Hays, KS, back to Wesley, St Joseph’s Hospital and Good Shepherd all in Wichita. There was a 2 year stint at one point in obstetrics at Wesley. Linda loved psych nursing and helping people to feel better. She always had a knack for getting people to open up to her. She was also a beloved and excellent team leader and still had friends from those work days who were like family. Linda always said she worked the best 40 years in psych nursing, starting out with very few meds that had lots of side effects to many choices with few side effects by the end of her career. She was always sorry that our country did not recognize the importance of helping the mentally ill or understand them.

Linda had two marriages which did not work out. In 1998, she married Frank E. White, Jr. Suddenly she had 3 kids and grandkids. What does a grandmother do? Bake cookies, ah yes, and that is what she did. Frank and Linda had a great time traveling and even more so after they both retired in 2008. Frank was avid about motorcycles; eventually Linda got bored with looking around his head as she sat behind him so at age 58, she learned to ride her own bike. At retirement, they had purchased a travel trailer and moved to Schowalter Villa in an independent living apartment, so they did even more traveling (no lawn to mow!!). Frank would do the navigating, and Linda would do the driving which she always enjoyed. Frank would tell her she should have been a race car driver the way she like winding roads.

Then in 2016, medical issues entered their lives and Linda cared for Frank for 5 ½ years until he passed away in 2021. Linda continued to enjoy volunteer work at the Villa and loved to tell stories and listen to other’s stories and laugh. Linda loved to bake and many were the recipients of her muffins, breads, and rolls. She made communion bread for her church for about 28 years. She loved get togethers with her siblings and their families as the stories always led to much laughter.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents, brothers-in-law Hal Johnson, Glen Raborn, and Rob White. She is survived by sisters Evelyn (Howard) Stenzel of McPherson, KS, Carol Johnson of Aurora, CO, and brother Leroy Dyck (Vickie) of Newton, KS; three stepchildren, Frank E. White III (Natasha) of McPherson, KS, Sean (Wenda) White of Aiken, SC, and Rick (Patti) Horton of Bixby, OK; five step grandchildren and two step great-grandchildren. Linda is also survived by many nieces and nephews and their children and cousins who were all very important to her.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, March 13, 2026 at Schowalter Villa Chapel, Hesston. Memorial services will also be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, March 14, at First United Methodist Church, Valley Center. Burial will follow at Halstead Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Valley Center or Schowalter Villa Good Samaritan Fund in care of Miller-Ott Funeral Home, PO Box 32, Hesston, KS 67062.

Linda loved all people and wished everyone could just love one another, listed to one another and respect one another. She leaves you with these words: “When somebody is different from you, it doesn’t mean they are worse or better. They are only different. If we can understand that, we can live in peace with another.” By Lily Ebert, Holocaust Survivor.