Linda Tamminga
On March 10, the Lord took Linda Tamminga to Himself. She was born in Springfield, Illinois, on Aug. 1, 1946, to Fred and Bernice Bolling. She trusted the Lord from a young age and instilled her love for Him and His word into her children and grandchildren.
She attended Central College in Pella, Iowa, where she met her future husband, Stephen Tamminga. They were married on Dec. 23, 1967, and were married 54 years, raising five children in the home they built on Manna Farm.
On Manna Farm, they lived with two other families, caring for livestock and, at times, horses. Linda had a love for horses and animals, in general. The calm rhythms of life on the eighty-acre property was a refuge for her until her final days.
In spite of serious childhood illness, Linda lived an active life, always enjoying the water and swimming. She was active in high school and college cheerleading, participating in school productions and music programs.
Linda received a BA in Education and taught school at various times of her life, most recently in the Lynden and Mount Vernon school districts in special education.
She was an excellent homemaker, preparing delicious home cooked meals, with a gift for creating beauty wherever she went.
Whether it was freshly cut and arranged flowers or beautifully lit candles, Linda made every gathering special.
Linda loved being a mother and grandmother and always brought the fun. She helped care for her newborn grandchildren and their mothers and spent time with each grandchild, playing games or teaching them to swim.
In recent years, Linda and Steve enjoyed family events, including vacations, graduations, and a grandson’s wedding.
Later in her life, she was diagnosed with dementia and continued to be cared for in her home by her loving husband. During her care on Manna Farm, the unexpected joy she brought to others as they cared for her was a blessing that could not have been foreseen.
Despite her dementia and the agitation that sometimes accompanied it, Linda continued to love being in God’s house until the end, and those were some of her most peaceful times, singing the praises of her King and worshipping with His people.
Linda is survived by her husband, Stephen; her children and their spouses, Micah and Wendy Tamminga, Uri and Melissa Tamminga, Jesse and Danyale Tamminga, Hosanna and Nathan Lovegren, and Christina and Benji Swinburnson; and 22 grandchildren.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Bernice, and sisters Donna and Glenna (Teena). Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
