Linda Coontz Malone

November 22, 1944 - March 29, 2022

With her family by her side at home, Linda finally succumbed to her battle with breast cancer after valiantly fighting it for many years. She was a cherished friends to all who knew her.

Linda was born in Santa Ana, the daughter of Elizabeth Whitney Coontz and William Morris Coontz. She grew up in Pasadena and South Pasadena. After graduating from South Pasadena High in 1962, she attended Redlands University before graduating from Occidental College in 1966 with a degree in English literature. She then taught English in the Los Angeles public schools for several years.

While at Occidental, Linda met her future husband and love of her life, Steve Malone. They married in 1969 and formed an unbreakable bond that lasted the rest of their lives.

After Steve completed his graduate education in geophysics at the University of Nevada-Reno, he accepted a position on the faculty at the University of Washington in Seattle and became, and still is, a highly respected seismologist, studying earthquakes and volcanoes. They bought a home there, where they lived for the rest of their lives together and raised their two daughters, Erika and Kristin.

These landmarks in Linda’s life, though, don’t begin to measure who she was. She was a person of many diverse interests. For the last 25 years of her life she was an accomplished artist, painting hundreds of beautiful watercolors, mostly of flowers. She and Steve traveled extensively to destinations throughout the world, many centered on volcanoes or snorkeling. Linda was also a voracious reader. Although she held staunch opinions on a wide range of matters, she was tolerant of competing views and willing to change her mind if convinced it was right to do so.

Linda could also be, and often was, hilarious. Her laugh was infectious, and it was always fun to be with her.

Above all, Linda had a magical ability to make and keep friends. Once people got to know her, they became friends for life. In a rare situation where a disagreement occurred between them, Linda worked diligently and successfully to resolve it. She had close friends from all times and phases of her life, and she was devoted to them, just as they were devoted to her.

Linda was a beautiful person, and those of us fortunate enough to know her learned valuable life lessons from her. We can continue to reflect them and pass them on to others.

Linda is survived by her husband Steve; their daughter Erika and son-in-law Justin; their daughter Kristin, son-in-law Todd, and grandchildren Lucy and Kinley; Linda’s brother Steve Coontz; and countless other friends and relatives. She was a brilliant example of how to live a life, and we all will miss her terribly.

Linda requested that no flowers be sent, but she invited anyone who might wish to do so to contribute to either of the following charities she supported:

The National Museum for Women in the Arts https://nmwa.org

Rebuilding Together Seattle http:/www.rtseattle.org