Linda Ann (Gregory) Wotipka

Linda Ann Gregory Wotipka 

was born on June 29, 1945 in Twin Falls, Idaho to Maurice and Melva Gregory. On July 7, 2021, she joined her husband of 45 years, Lee Wotipka, her father, mother, and brother Clark Gregory, in the great mystery of God’s next plan. She is survived by her brothers, Dana and Clinton Gregory, her brother-in-law, Adolph Wotipka, her sisters-in-law, Diane Wotipka, Laverne Ehrlich, Shirley Dolezal, and Marie Gregory, her daughter, Janell Strube, her three stepdaughters, Lucy Miller, Jennette Bodiford and Robin Wotipka, her son-in-law Mitch Bodiford, and the nephews she raised as her sons, Scott Gregory, Matthew Gregory, and Jeremy Loyer, and daughters-in-law, Keri-Ann and Jamie Gregory, and grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many other nieces and nephews and loving friends.

Linda spent her life following God, living and working in Idaho, Hawaii, California, Utah, and Florida, finally settling in Wayzata, Minnesota where she designed her home and planted her dream garden. She studied at the University of Idaho, Boise State College, San Jose College, San Francisco, and the University of Phoenix, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. She held many positions in financial management and payroll administration. 

Linda’s professional demeanor of calm and competence balanced a deeply artistic and poetic nature. She was a talented artist whose works were filled with stylized images of flowers. Linda was a child of the forest - the forest is where God found her and spoke to her, the place where she found her refuge, the place where she and her brothers spent many hours playing.  In Wayzata, she created a wooded glade that surrounded her house, a place where tall trees shaded the flowers and the sigh of wind through the leaves was the breath of the earth encircling her and everyone who walked its brick lined paths. 

Families are made in many ways, and the bonds of blood are no match for the bonds of connection tied by God in His tapestry design. Linda always wanted a family, and her path to motherhood came in unexpected ways, including reconnecting with her daughter. She counted it a special blessing when she acquired three little girls upon her marriage to Lee, and she took in her nephews when they needed a home and a family, impelled by a desire to let them know they were loved and that they were worth it. She was known for her kindness, compassion and nonjudgmental love for others and was revered in all her work places for her mentoring and leadership. 

Linda faced the end of her days on this earth with dignity, courage and grace despite great suffering. She considered how to die in “the best way”, the way she tried to do everything - not only succeeding but excelling. She was a famous list maker. Even her lists had lists. In these last few months, those lists kept her from her pain. Often after a sleepless night, there would be a new set of tasks to accomplish in the morning. 

The verses Ephesians 2:8 and 9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, Not of works, lest any man should boast,” were a comfort to her every day, and she read often the verses of the 23rd Psalm. 

Today, her lists are complete, and God in His grace has gathered her into his loving arms.

 
Funeral service Saturday July 17, 2021 at 3 PM, David Lee Chapel, 1220 Wayzata Blvd East, Wayzata. Visitation 1 hour prior. The service will be live-streamed, you can access the link off of Linda’s obituary on the funeral home website.

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