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February 10, 2013 12:36 AM
October 12, 1936 - January 30, 2013 (76 years old)
Gretchen passed away peacefully at Serenity House in Santa Barbara surrounded by her loving family. She was born in St. Pal Minnesota to Ruben and Virginia Linquist. She moved to Oregon when she was fifteen years old and migrated down to Santa Barbara after college. She worked at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital as a secretary. There, she met her husband Tom whom she raised three children with. She was very involved in age-group swimming with her children at the YMCA and the Santa Barbara Swim Club. In her earlier days she loved to travel, spending most of her time at their condo in Kauai. She loved surf fishing as well as camping at Lake Nacimiento. She lived life to the fullest and enjoyed spending time with her many grandchildren. The house was always a place of laughter and carefree fun where she encouraged eating olives off of fingers at dinner and banging pots and pans on New Years Eve. To this day she is still known as the "fun and crazy grandma."
She is survived by her husband Thomas of 54 years and their children: Ginger Kaufman and her boyfriend Tony Barr, her son Jason and his wife Reyna; their children Kylie and Cienna. Connie Chackel, her husband David and their children Katie, Danny and Kelly. Thomas Jr.; his wife Kim and his children Shelby and Meagan Cook, her sister, Sue Broderick; her husband Terry and many nieces and nephews.
A
special
thank
you
goes
out
to
the
entire
staff
of
Serenity
House
for
their
loving
and
compassionate
care.
No
services
have
been
scheduled;
a
memorial
will
be
announced
at
a
later
date.
Online
memories
can
be
made
at
www.wrhsb.com.
Arrangements
have
been
handled
by
Welch-Ryce-Haider
Funeral
Chapel
and
Crematorium.
In
lieu
of
flowers,
the
family
encourages
a
donation
to
Serenity
House,
930
Miramonte
Drive,
Santa
Barbara,
CA
93109;
Phone
805-965-5555.
For more information on the memorial please email
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