Linda Jean Tolman

Linda Jean Tolman (Burnett), 70, passed away on January 26th after battling Alzheimer’s disease for many years.

Linda, born August 13, 1952 in Ogden Utah, to Doug and Jean Burnett, spent much of her early years growing up in Boise Idaho. Her young life was one of love, laughter and joy with her parents and brother Kevin. She had many stories of fun and adventure from her childhood and considered herself an “Idaho girl” her whole life. 

After graduating high school, she spent 2 years attending Ricks College (BYU Idaho) and eventually graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Early Childhood Development and a teaching certificate.  While at BYU, she met her husband Stephen Richard (Rick) Tolman and they were married on May 22, 1975, in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had 5 children together: Brandon, Heather, Lance, Aaron and Brooke. 

After stops in Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois, the large portions of Linda’s life were spent in Virginia and Missouri before moving to Liberty, Utah in retirement. She enjoyed herself and made friends in all the places she lived. She especially loved living in the mountains of Liberty, you could often find her looking out the back windows of the house, appreciating the views and looking for moose.  

You couldn’t ask for a better mother than Linda and being a mother was an important part of her life. She was a choice woman, who was fun, loving and patient as a parent and grandparent. She made everyone feel warm and special.  She embodied the idea of loving service and was always thinking about the people around her. She enjoyed doing crafts and would regularly make things to give away and share with others. She spent many a happy hour in creative pursuits.

After her children had gotten older, Linda spent time substitute teaching for many years. In her later years, she volunteered in the community often and particularly enjoyed being involved in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.  

Linda’s day wouldn’t start until she had her morning walk and she loved being outdoors, visiting with others and spending time with her family.  She was a joy to be around with an infectious smile and she was always up for a game or some good-natured teasing.  One of the only benefits of her Alzheimer’s disease, is that for a short time, it brought out even more of her playful side.  In the last few years of her life, one of her favorite tricks to play was to put a pan under her shirt and then ask you to bop her in the stomach.  It was always a treat to see this mischievous and mirthful side of her.

Linda left a lasting legacy of joy and service and was loved dearly. She will be greatly missed by those that had the blessing of knowing her in this life. 

Linda is survived by her husband, Rick; her children, Brandon (Jen), Heather (Eric), Lance (Jessica), Aaron (Sara) and Brooke (Geoff); her brother Kevin (Ellen) and her 15 grandchildren.

A meet and greet will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at the North Fork Ward Chapel building (4279 N 3300 E, Liberty, UT 84310) at 10:00 AM, followed by the funeral services at 11:00 AM at the Liberty Cemetery (3930 N 3500 E, Eden, UT 84310).  For those that can’t attend in person, a zoom link is available at: https://zoom.us/j/95200868450.

If you would like to make a donation, we ask that you donate to the Alzheimer’s Association at: https://act.alz.org/.