Linda Miller Thompson

Linda Miller Thompson, 73, of Rogers City, passed away Thursday, June 18, 2026, after a short bout but aggressive bout with what medical personnel at both Alpena Hospital and the University of Michigan diagnosed as ALS, the disease that led to the death of baseball great Lou Gehrig. 

Linda was born in Flint February 26, 1953, to parents Robert and Lorraine Richards. Her father was an automotive engineer with the Chevrolet Division of General Motors Co. Linda was always proud of the heritage and honored it throughout her life by buying only Chevrolet cars and trucks. 

Her father also encouraged his children to get college educations, and Linda dutifully complied, earning a teaching degree from the University of Michigan at Flint. She taught English in area elementary schools for a number of years, then earned a degree in school counseling by attending night classes at Central Michigan University. It proved to be a perfect fit with Linda. 

She was wonderfully soft-spoken, with a quiet demeanor, and a boundless love and respect for the children and adults she worked with. It sometime seems that every person she meets falls in love with her. As a school counselor, her brilliant wit and compassionate heart became a safe harbor for the countless students and education workers she encountered over the years. 

Linda was also a voracious reader who kept long lists of books that she wanted to read. She also wrote about her daily life in a series of personal journals she kept over the years. She had an adventurous spirit and loved to travel and explore the world. Yet she cherished the beauty of shared traditions, particularly her annual journeys to the Stratford Festival in Canada and camping outings with her family at Little Girls Point on Lake Superior. She believed in the enduring power of human connections, expressed clearly in the letters she wrote to her lifelong pen pals that began in the sixth grade and continued until her death, a period of 60 years. 

After retiring from her counseling position with the Grand Blanc Middle School, Linda chose to head north to the small community of Rogers City, located on the shore of Lake Huron. She loved the quiet beauty of the area and the company of many people who shared her traits and values. Linda was soon involved in her adopted community, serving as an officer in the local chapter of the Women’s Civic League, and as an active member of the Friends of the Library and Friends of P. H. Hoeft State Park. She also provided financial assistance annually to numerous organizations in the U.S. and around the globe that helped people, animals and the environment. 

She was also a devoted member

of Trinity Lutheran Church, a small church located in a stand of majestic pine trees not too far from her home in a small community of like-minded people, mainly retirees, with homes along the Lake Huron shore. She delighted in the friendly companionship of her neighbors and is famous in the community for joining in after “dog walks,” even though she didn’t have a dog of her own. 

She was also a lifelong, unwavering fan of the Detroit Tigers, and closely followed the team and players for most of her life. 

Linda is survived by her husband, Mark; her brother, Tom and wife, Nel; her sister Bethany; and a loving circle of nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends who will forever bask in the warmth of her unique spirit and grace. A graveside service will take place at a later date. Online condolences may be addressed through www.beckfuneralhome.org.