In Celebration and Thanksgiving for the Life of Linda Strohmier
October 31, 1945 — March 14, 2003
by Kevin Coffey

Born October 31, 1945 in Brazil, Indiana, Linda was the daughter of William and Wanita Hamm Shearer. Linda graduated Indiana University, cum laude, with a B.A. in 1966, and from The General Theological Seminary, cum laude, with an M.Div. in 1984. She was ordained Deacon in 1984 and Priest in 1985 in the Diocese of New York, where she served St. Andrew’s, Murray Hill. She was named an Episcopal Church Fellow in 1985 and started work on her doctorate with Princeton University, where she earned an M.A. in 1986. While researching her doctoral thesis, she taught at Lehigh University and served congregations on the Diocese of Bethlehem. She returned to the Diocese of New York, working with the Hudson Valley Ministry, a cluster of six churches in the Greater Newburgh area, where she was the pastor with St. Anne’s, Washingtonville. Linda went on to serve as Canon Pastor at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark, Seattle, before being appointed by the Most Rev. Edmond Lee Browning, then Presiding Bishop, to be National Evangelism Coordinator.

Linda left her position as Evangelism Coordinator at the Episcopal Church Center and came to the Diocese of Newark in the Fall of 1996, to be a co-Missioner of the Bergen Episcopal Area Ministry (BEAM), the cluster made up of St Peter’s, Rochelle Park; St Matthew’s, Paramus; St Martin’s, Maywood; and the Church of the Atonement, Fair Lawn. She went on to serve the Church of the Good Shepherd, Ringwood, and our cathedral, Trinity and St. Philip’s, before taking her final church position with the Episcopal Church of Our Merciful Saviour, Penns Grove, in the Diocese of New Jersey. Since the first of this year Linda has been serving as cook with Life Needs Co-op, a ‘lifesharing’ extended family setting for individuals with disabilities, where her daughter, Margaret "Maggie" Strohmier, has lived for many years.

A funeral service was held at Finnerty and Stevens Funeral Home in Great Barrington on Monday, March 17^th, with Rev. Peter Skaller, pastor of the Christian Community Church, Hillsdale, New York, for the members of Maggie’s household. The Eucharistic prayer used at the memorial service was one Linda crafted while serving on the drafting panel working on the supplemental eucharistic texts for the Standing Liturgical Commission. The sermon was delivered by three of Linda’s friends and colleagues: the Rev Sr. Jean Campbell, OSH, the Rev. Steven Kelsey, and the Rev Kevin P.J. Coffey.

Following the memorial service, Linda’s family and friends returned to Maggie’s home for both a repast and, honoring Linda’s Native American heritage, a potlatch-a term, corrupted from a Nootka Indian word for " gift," for a ceremonial custom among some of the Indian tribes, consisting in the distribution of an individual’s property among friends and neighbors.

Bill Lewellis, Communication Minister/Editor in the Diocese of Bethlehem, said, "Linda brought to the world a love of theater and community. Her singing was inspiring and vibrant, and her laughter was hearty and infectious. People sought Linda out for counsel, understanding and warmth. She will be greatly missed by her daughter and by her many friends," and the Rt. Rev. Stephen Charleston, president and dean of Episcopal Divinity School, described Linda as "a teacher, a healer, a prophet, and a mystic."

Some of Linda’s "non-church’ life experience included: founding of the Thetford Parish Players, a community theater in Vermont that recently celebrated their 30th anniversary; working as manager with the Big Apple Circus; Production Coordinator with the Vivian Beaumont Theater; and script writer with Br. Jon Bankert, SSF;

The Church of the Atonement, Fair Lawn, will host a memorial service and potluck dinner on Saturday, May 3^rd, 2003, at 4pm. John Palmer Croneberger, Bishop of Newark, will be the celebrant and the Catherine S. Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York and seminary classmate of Linda’s, will be one of the preachers. Contributions may be made to Life Needs Co-op at 205 North Plain Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230-1275.

Linda is survived by her daughter, Margaret Ruth Strohmier of Great Barrington; her stepmother Rosemary Shearer and her Uncle Jack Shearer both of Florida. Her husband David Strohmier predeceased her.