Linda Rein’l Noel died peacefully on March 13 with the help of Providence Hospice of Sonoma County and the nurses at Primrose Alzheimer’s Living. Her daughters, Susan Gloisten and Katie Yant, were by her side during her final days. Linda was deeply loved by family, friends, neighbors and colleagues.
She was born in Columbia, Missouri, to Violett (Robbins) and Robert Lincoln McCabe Rein’l. After her parents’ divorce, Violett married Jack Sawhill, and Robert married Jane Prescott. Linda had many sisters growing up, Anne Beck, Ellen Sawhill, Sally Rein’l-Bautista, and Kathy Rein’l. She spent most of her time between Boulder, Colorado, and Tucson, Arizona.
Linda’s stepmother, Jane, taught her many old English songs, which Linda passed down to her children and grandchildren. She had an adventurous spirit and enjoyed hiking, sewing, knitting, riding bikes, and climbing trees.
At Boulder High School, Linda was active in and loved the theater. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Languages (French and Russian).
Then Linda married Roger Olaf Egeberg Jr., they moved to Berkeley, had daughters Susan and Katie, and purchased a home in north Berkeley. Not long after, they divorced, and Linda focused primarily on building an enriching community of friends while working full time.
For over 20 years Linda was an administrative assistant at UC Berkeley (Mechanical Engineering and High Energy Physics) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She volunteered at Children’s Hospital, the AIDS Taskforce, and with many public outreach programs at First Congregational Church of Berkeley.
Linda met and married Bill Noel at FCCB. They enjoyed traveling together and their active church roles as members for 40 years. When Bill died in 2003, Linda moved to Santa Rosa to be closer to Susan. She joined FCC Santa Rosa, took walks along Spring Lake, and enjoyed time with family and friends. She had a strong faith, and her kindness touched people’s lives daily.
Linda is survived by sisters Anne, Sally, and Kathy, her brother-in-law Mark, her daughters, Susan (Gerard) and Katie (Jeff), her stepdaughter, Tasha, and stepson, Shane (Christi), her grandchildren, Kayla, Danielle, Rebecca, Aaron, Nathan, Tess, Karina, and Garrett, her nieces and nephews, and her many close friends.
Linda’s Celebration of Life service will be held at 2 p.m. on July 9 at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2330 Durant Ave. (corner of Dana Street). She was buried at Sunset View Cemetery in El Cerrito, CA. Donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
