Archived Services

Linda Holdhusen
01-05-2022

Linda Holdhusen, 74, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at the Foundation Hospice Cottage with her husband, John, by her side after a nearly two year battle with cancer. The daughter of Glenn and Belva Leffler, she was born on February 28, 1947 in Fort Knox, KY.
Linda moved to Aberdeen, SD early in her life and graduated from Central High School in 1965. As a student, Linda opened a studio in her parents’ basement where she taught dance for more than ten years. She graduated from Northern State College in 1970 with an education degree in English and speech. At Northern, she and her husband, John, bonded backstage over their shared love of theatre. They married in 1969.

Linda and John moved to Sioux Falls, SD in 1976. Linda was a beloved English and speech teacher at Baltic High School where she also directed drama productions and coached oral interp. During her 29 year tenure, Linda produced student performances that were routinely recognized for their excellence by the South Dakota High School Activities Association. Students under her tutelage were exposed to the masterworks of literature and the technical precision of English grammar while being supported by her caring soul. In 1998 she was awarded the Baltic “Teacher of the Year” award as a testament to her excellence as an educator. After influencing and inspiring countless students, she retired in 2004 to spend her days indulging in her next calling of being a grandma.
Linda’s family was the forefront of her life. Whether it was sitting in the humid summer sun cheering on her sons playing baseball, sewing Halloween costumes for her grandchildren, crocheting scarves and blankets, or teaching the art of apple pie baking, Linda would drop everything to help, teach, and cheer on her family. Linda was a voracious plastic canvas creator. If you are reading this you likely have at least one plastic canvas magnet on your refrigerator that she crafted. Linda also loved exploring the world with John. Together they traveled through most of North America and Hawaii as well as parts of Europe. Much of their travels involved her lifelong passion for theatre, especially her unrequited love of William Shakespeare. After three decades of subjecting countless students to his works, she could not help but continue to spread the word as Lilith the Storyteller with the Siouxland Renaissance group. When not doting on her family or teaching youth how to properly use commas, Linda was likely drinking Diet Coke while reading or watching a mystery. Whether it was reading an Agatha Christie novel or watching “Murder, She Wrote,” she was always up for helping a fictional character solve a murder. Linda loved deeply, and will be dearly missed.
Linda is survived by her husband of 52 years: John; children: David (Deedra), Vermillion, SD, and Mark (Elona), Wausau, WI; 4 grandchildren: Annika and Ellie (David and Deedra) and Milo and Odelia (Mark and Elona); 2 sisters: Karen Carlson (Dave), Inver Grove Heights, MN, and Halley Laberda (Paul), Maple Grove, MN; 2 brothers: Dean (Diane), Fort Myers, FL, and Bob (Sandy), Arlington, TX; and many grandnieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Belva Leffler.
A Memorial Service will be Saturday, January 15, 2022, 1:00 PM First Congregational Church.