Linda J. Lyman

Linda J. Lyman, age 87 and of Springvale, Maine, passed away peacefully on January 8, 2022 at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough. Despite living with progressive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition for which there is no cure, Linda lived independently up until the week of her passing. She died after only a few days in hospice, free of pain and on her own terms, which was deeply important to Linda and a cause for which she advocated throughout her life. Linda was a courageous, independent, pioneering, and remarkably compassionate woman whose life and work touched an immeasurable number of people and animals. Linda lived in Springvale since 2013 with her life partner Meredith (Marty) Walton, and prior to that lived in Kennebunk, Maine where she was an active member of the community from 2004 to 2013. Linda served on various town committees in Kennebunk, and was the driving force on "the dog committee" that created a respectful, cooperative, and ongoing relationship between dog owners, beachgoers, and homeowners in the Gooch's Beach area. Linda also served on conservation committees for the town, working to maintain safe water quality and protection of natural habitats. A lifelong Quaker, Linda was born in Downers Grove, Illinois, and later attended Lake Forest Friends Meeting in Lake Forest, Illinois. She lived in various places throughout her life including California, Philadelphia, Washington state, Ohio, and Maine. Through professional work, volunteer work, and advocacy, Linda formed deep and lasting friendships with people across the United States and overseas as well. She worked at Pendle Hill, a Quaker study, retreat, and conference center outside of Philadelphia, and later served as Friend in Residence at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, an international Quaker learning and research organization based in Birmingham, UK. She served on the board of Friends Publishing Corporation (Friends Journal) in the 1990s and early 2000s. Linda met Marty Walton in 1989 and was a devoted partner to her for more than 30 years, including caring for Marty up to the time of her death in 2020. Together, she and Marty participated in the Bellingham, Washington and Southern Maine Friends Meetings, and were involved with numerous other Quaker groups, causes, and gatherings. In more recent years, Linda also became active in the Sanford Unitarian Universalist Church community. Linda was a peaceful change-maker, an observant and loving friend and guide, and a calm, steadfast force for good. She worked as a family therapist and also worked with individuals with disabilities, often fondly recalling taking patients on therapeutic trips to her beloved Boundary Waters in Minnesota. Linda was also an active grassroots political activist, supporting local campaigns as recently as 2020. In the mid-1990s, Linda and Marty started "The Storehouse Collection of Memories," a business devoted to the creation of unique and personalized life story books. A skilled and attentive listener, Linda's role was to interview the subjects of the life story as well as the subject's family members to obtain not only the facts of one's life, but the life story that made the individual unique. Through this work, Linda became involved in the Association of Personal Historians (APH), through which she and Marty developed strong relationships across the globe. Linda was a steady advocate for causes that advanced the rights of all to die with dignity. Earlier in her career, she worked with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of "On Death and Dying" and a pioneer in understanding "the five stages of grief." As recently as 2019, Linda led a workshop in Sanford, Maine on preparing for the death of a loved one. Linda loved to hike, kayak, and canoe, and deeply valued being in nature whenever possible. She shared that hikes in the Cascade Mountains in Washington state with Marty were among her happiest memories. Nothing stopped Linda from making her daily rounds with her bird feeders and caring for all neighborhood wild creatures who came her way, wherever she lived. Her love affair with the natural world was life-long, and she was the first to admit that being with animals, and in nature, was often the most comfortable place to be. Linda will be dearly missed by her surviving friends and family. Should you wish to make a donation in Linda's memory, please contribute to Hospice of Southern Maine, 180 U.S. Route One, Scarborough, ME, 04074, phone number 866-621-7600, or to your local animal shelter or wildlife organization. A virtual memorial service will be planned for Linda in the coming weeks; if you would like to attend, please email Julia Ladd at julia.v.ladd @gmail.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale. To leave a message on condolence please click on Linda's Tribute page.