Thiele, Linda Louise
PALM COAST, Fla. — Linda Louise Thiele, born on September 8, 1957, passed away suddenly on January 13, 2022, in Palm Coast, Fla.
She is survived by her broken-hearted husband, J. Wayne Thiele; sister and brother-in-law, Gina and Kevin Davis; brother, Fred Guercio Jr.; as well as three close cousins, Lisa, Larry, and Terry, their spouses, all her Thiele in-laws, and countless friends.
After graduating from high school in Cobleskill in 1975, where she met her best friend, Karen, one of many lasting friendships, Linda met Wayne on a trip to New Orleans, and he became her life partner of 45 years. She spent many years working in restaurants in the Capital District. With her gregarious nature, sense of humor, and appreciation for good food, drink, and dining, she was a natural for the hospitality business, and always had a following of customers no matter where she worked. She loved it, but after a brief stint as a life insurance agent for John Hancock, she eventually worked for the Town of Bethlehem as a senior procurement clerk, retiring in 2020, with a move to Palm Coast.
Linda’s joy for life was infectious, and she had many hobbies and talents. She was a gifted gardener and self-taught gourmet chef. Her flower and vegetable gardens flourished every summer, and in early September she made sure to keep up her family’s tradition of making homemade pesto from her bounty of basil. Dinner at Linda’s was always an amazing treat because she enjoyed cooking elaborate meals and hosting friends and family, especially in the summer, and all her friends and family will always fondly remember the backyard barbecue and pool days at her home in Colonie. She also had an eye for home decor, and her house was beautifully decorated in antiques and art from her carefully selected finds at yard and estate sales over many years. Linda loved bargains, but she was incredibly generous. Her beloved Book Club girls looked forward to "yard sale Santa" every December because she would thoughtfully select beautiful gifts to give. A kind-hearted animal lover, there were always pets in her life and home. She loved to travel and spoke with great joy of her trips to Mexico, Spain, and Italy. Linda made friends wherever she went with her beautiful smile and infectious laugh.
There are no words to express the heartbreak of so many who will forever miss "our Linda," but her love and light will live on through all of the family and friends who loved her.
There will be a celebration of her life sometime in the spring.
Linda joined the Garden Club of Palm Coast and Art Among the Flowers, and she enjoyed making new friends and learning about gardening in a tropical climate after moving to Florida. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Garden Club in her name would be a welcome tribute.