In Memory

Linda Booth (Schweikardt)

Linda Booth (Schweikardt)

Linda Booth Schweikardt 1944 ~ 2009 Linda Louise, beloved sister, Mother, Auntie, Great Aunt, and Great Friend passed gently away on Monday, February 23rd due to multiple myeloma in Salt Lake City, Utah with her sister at her side.Linda was born in Salt Lake City on July 17, 1944 to Edson R. and Christine Z. Booth. She graduated South High School, class of 1962, and University of Utah in June 1966 and arrived in Boston, Mass, with her B.A. in English Literature beginning a career in publishing with venerated Little, Brown & Co. From there to New York City with Time Incorporated, editing, and creating Book Find Club & Seven Arts Society, she developed and marketed publications and continued a lifelong love affair with the written word. With marriage and birth of their son, Linda created a home, family life, and close friendships, which she loved in Westport, Conn. With her photographer husband, Eric Schweikardt, she was Artist Representative and business manager.



 
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02/22/23 11:34 AM #1    

Gordon Shepherd

Dear Linda,

I didn’t know you were sick, that you were dying. We had re-established contact awhile back but then lost touch again the last couple of years. We used to laugh about how we would remember the young, fun times when we got old. You didn’t get old enough, Linda, not nearly. But I will remember those times, and I will remember you. I suspect you were at your best then: full of soaring future fantasies, exuding life, poised on the brink, eager to explore the wide world beyond Harrison Ave. I only know a little about what you encountered in that other world. I went away for a long time too. But I won’t forget that incandescent smile with the barely revealed lower left incisor; the involuntary snort when you laughed too hard; the masticated fingernails that you so proudly, finally, briefly mastered; the biting intelligence and quick wit; the self-deprecating humor and vulnerability; the righteous anger that popped to the surface when you felt an injustice; the fierce loyalty to family and faith; the quest for beauty; the passion you invested in everything; the compassion you felt for the suffering; the hand-delivered letters in the dead of winter; the white dress with the blue satin sash; and much more that goes unsaid. I’m sorry that I didn’t know, that I didn’t make it my business to find out. I wish we could have had some final time to talk and sort things out. I do ardently hope that the last days you had provided a merited measure of peace. Goodbye, dear Linda.

Love,
Gary
Gary Shepherd   March 3, 2009
 
Linda is one of the shining lights in the constellation of my fond recollections of adolescence and high school days while growing up in Salt Lake City. Regrettably, my subsequent contacts with Linda have been all too few. My wife Faye met Linda a few years ago and was impressed by her sharp wit and occasional sharp tongue but most of all by her compassion and selfless service in attending to those in need of a helping hand. As a recipient both of her wit and compassion in our younger years, what I remember most clearly is Linda’s commitment to high ideals of achievement and decency, humanized by her infectious laughter and energetic resilience in the face of adversity and the apathy of others.

Gordon Shepherd   March 2, 2009

 
 

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