Linda Jean Root, 75, Overland Park, KS, passed away Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at Ascension Living St. Joseph Place. Visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. with the Funeral Services following at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 24, at the Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia St., Lenexa, KS. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery.
Linda was born May 21, 1947, in Chicago, IL, the daughter of Donald and Regina (Quackenbush) Simpson. When Linda was five years old, her father was transferred with the Lily Tulip Corporation and the family relocated to Springfield, MO. Linda attended St. Agnes and Immaculate Conception Elementary Schools and graduated from St. Agnes Regional High School in 1965. Linda attended Southwest Missouri State College and graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in Education and a minor in Library Science. Her first job after college was a teaching position in La Harpe, IL where Linda taught social studies and served as the high school librarian for two years. Linda later moved to Kansas City, MO where she worked at office positions and eventually met her husband, Bill Root, at a Catholic singles group. Linda and Bill were married on June 6, 1981 at St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park, KS. They bought a home in Overland Park, KS near South Lake Park and thoroughly enjoyed the parks, outdoor concerts, craft fairs and farmers markets in Johnson County KS. Linda worked for the Avila College Library in Kansas City, MO for many years, and for the Johnson County Kansas Libraries. Linda and Bill were active members of Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park where Linda was a member of the choir, St. Benedict’s Circle, and the Sunshine Club.
After Bill passed away in 2014, Linda lived at Overland Park Place for several years where she was a member of the Shining Stars singing group. Linda was a resident at Ascension Living St. Joseph Place for the last two years and enjoyed visiting with friends in the courtyard, attending Mass and bingo. The family wishes to thank Joann Benson for her friendship and support, and the staff at St. Joseph Place for their care of Linda over the past two years.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents, husband, William Root, brother, Robert Simpson, niece, Jennifer Johnson and her dear friend of many years, Kathleen Dickinson. She is survived by her brother, Don Simpson of St. Louis, sister and her husband, Susan and Jeff Johnson of Leawood, and niece, Jacqueline Johnson, of Little Rock, AR.