Linda R. Shelhamer, 75, of Brandywine Hundred, DE. A tenacious nurse, wife, and mother, Linda passed away on January 10, 2025, amassing a lifetime record against cancer of 2-1-1.
A graduate of Nether Providence High School, Class of 1967, and Bryn Mawr Hospital School of Nursing, Class of 1970, Linda disappointed her professors by following her passion to pursue a career in mental health. She worked as a psychiatric nurse at Norristown State Hospital, Haverford State Hospital, and the Coatesville VA. Having used her talents and grace to tend to those with invisible wounds gave Linda a lifelong sense of fulfillment.
In her younger years, Linda was an avid camper and hiker, trekking with her husband of 54 years to all 50 states and nearly every National Park. In her later years, she adopted a more leisurely pace, sailing the Caribbean before mooring herself in St. Martin, taking month-long sojourns to Europe, and wandering to Africa and Asia.
At home, Linda was known as the “boss” for maintaining lists and schedules as if she was running a floor as a nurse, and “chuckles” for her propensity to have bribed her children in their youth with the candy of the same name as a means to keep them on task with their assigned lists and schedules.
Understanding the importance of mental self-care, Linda allocated time each day to curl up with a mystery novel, and cultivate the inner zen, which kept her remarkably grounded through the travails of work, domestic life, and health struggles. In the warmer months, she loved to transform the back deck into a flower garden - so much so the deck had to be expanded to ensure there remained room for a table and chairs.
She is predeceased by her parents, James and Josephine of Wallingford, PA. She is survived by her husband, Charlie, of Wilmington, DE; son Charles of Queens, NY, and daughter-in-law Jennifer; daughter Andrea of Paris, France, and son-in-law Thomas; sister Debbie of Swedesboro, NJ, and her family; and brother-in-law Barry of Beresford, NB, and his family.
Services will be held on Friday, January 17, 2025, at McCrery & Harra Funeral Homes and Crematory, 3924 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803. Visitation will be at 10am. Service at 11am. Interment will immediately follow at Lawn Croft Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made in Linda’s name to Buddhist Global Relief, buddhistglobalrelief.org, or Samaritan’s Purse https://www.samaritanspurse.org
May I be a good doctor for those who suffer from illness,
a guide for those who have gone astray,
a lamp for those who dwell in darkness,
a source of treasure for those in poverty and need.”
