Linda Whiting Braun June 23, 1940 - August 16, 2025

Every great story ends with a period, the most unassuming of all punctuation marks. It might be mistaken for a tiny blemish on a vast expanse of page, but when scratched at with a fingernail, the intentionality of a period becomes stubbornly evident to the reader.

The final period of the final sentence of the final chapter of Linda Whiting Braun’s mortal life ended on August 16, 2025. It was an unassuming death, a casualty of advanced age. While her 85 years may have gone by largely unnoticed by the great sphere of humanity, to those who loved her, this date will be remembered as the bittersweet ending of a great story.

Linda’s story began in a white house on the hill of Center Street, in Springville, Utah, on June 23, 1940. As one of five daughters of Jesse Hall and Helen Salisbury Whiting, Linda and her sisters Ann, Mary Lou, Janet, and Kathy, enjoyed the idyllic childhood of life on a small farm. Linda’s childhood memories include sliding down haystacks with her cousin and lifelong friend Patti Mortensen and being chased down Center Street by a mountain lion while riding a Tote Goat.

The plot of Linda’s story thickened when she met her husband, Jerry Braun, while serving up popcorn at the Rivoli Theater on Springville Main Street. Their 66 years of marriage produced three children, Rebecca (Kelly), Patrick (Amber), and Andrew, and various cats and dogs, including the beloved family mutts Weanus and Weasel. Moves from Utah to Pacific Grove, California, and then back again to Utah were important subplots. For the sports enthusiasts, Linda and Jerry’s dynasty also prominently featured golf, with a few brilliant wins but also some agonizing losses.

The muses graced Linda’s life with a love of the humanities. As a corollary to being an avid reader, Linda was also a writer. She was the ringleader of a writing class, which was a pastime she enjoyed so much that she held her last writing class on her deathbed, surrounded by friends and fellow writers and poets, who read their swan songs with smiles on their faces and tears on their dessert plates. Linda loved to paint, sew, and create art with her hands. She cherished the lost arts of paper doll making and embroidery. Her six grandchildren, Jesse (Lizzie), Dallin, Landon, Lauren, Kathryn, and Ian will succumb to their own mortality with her homemade cards still in their possession.

If a movie were ever made of Linda’s story, it would be a musical. Linda loved music. She was an accomplished pianist and a dabbler at guitar and harmonica. Even more than playing an instrument, Linda loved musicals. One of her greatest talents was writing pageants and roadshows, and these performances afforded her many lasting friendships. The love for musical theater extended to her progeny, with both children and grandchildren drawn to the stage.

Linda’s character development was one of faith. She approached the inevitable challenges of life with an eternal perspective. She was a disciple of Jesus Christ and an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout her life. She served in many capacities at church, including serving in the callings of Relief Society President, Young Women President, and Primary President. Linda showed care and concern for others. Many lives were touched by her ability to connect with people and help them to feel loved and fed both spiritually and by her skilled cooking. Linda imbued a tradition of faith in her children. Her children and grandchildren will treasure the memory of Linda bearing her testimony to them in the days before her passing.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents, sisters, and son Andrew. All of the other characters in her story mourn her loss. Linda’s story will be celebrated on August 22-23, 2025. A viewing will be held on Friday, August 22, 2025 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Walker Funeral Home, 187 South Main Street, Spanish Fork, Utah. A viewing will also be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m at the Spring Creek 3rd Ward, 55 North Main Street, Springville Utah, with a funeral service to follow at the same location at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at Springville City Cemetery, 400 South 200 West, Springville, Utah.