Linda LaRae Haider, a beloved teacher and longtime member of the Evanston community, passed away peacefully on the morning of Thursday, June 20.
Linda was born on June 3, 1944, to Rufus and LaVee Hatch. She spent her youth in the small farming community of Koosharem, Utah. As the oldest of four vivacious girls, she was known for her quick wit and feisty spirit.
She constantly tried her mother’s patience, especially when she was caught showing off by doing gymnastics on the back of a horse as it loped around. She loved to encourage others, and she served on both her high school and college pep squads.
As a young woman, Linda married Dexter Olsen and had her first son, Hap, at age 22. When she went home to tell her parents that she was expecting, her mother shared a surprise of her own. Linda’s little brother was born only one month before Hap!
After Dexter’s bout with cancer, Linda was widowed when Hap was only 5 years old, so she moved to Cedar City, Utah, to attend college. She returned to Koosharem frequently so Hap and his uncle could play together.
While in Cedar City, Linda was introduced to her best friend and the love of her life, Ronald W. Haider, and they were married on Sept. 1, 1973. Ron brought to the marriage three lively children of his own, and their home was blessed with four additional children.
Ron and Linda were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in 2001, and were together almost 50 years before Ron’s passing last year.
Linda was a lifelong learner with a passion for reading. After more than a decade away from her studies, she returned to Southern Utah State College and finished her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1987. She did her student teaching at Aspen Elementary and then taught for 20 years at Davis Middle School in Evanston.
The teaching profession was perfect for Linda. She shared her love of reading with countless students who passed through her classroom. Even after losing her eyesight, she devoured audiobooks.
Linda had a fantastic memory and could recall names and dates from many events in her life. Going to the grocery store was never a quick errand because she would stop to visit with all her friends and neighbors, offering a hug or encouraging word when needed, always delivered with a cheerful smile and twinkle in her eye.
But by far, her favorite people to reminisce with were her sisters. Getting the Hatch girls together meant staying up giggling and eating homemade candy (Linda’s specialty was hand-pulled taffy) and playing card games. Linda said she knew it was time to go to bed when someone said something that wasn’t funny, but everyone laughed anyway. Even after such late nights, Linda would get up to cook special-order breakfasts.
For Linda, the kitchen was the heart of her home. She would take her family to pick raspberries at Bear Lake, then return with the bounty to make homemade jam. Raspberry jam or fresh maple syrup on her homemade pancakes was a delightful piece of heaven on earth.
Linda’s favorite time of the year was the Fourth of July because that meant her grown children and grandchildren would be returning to Evanston. Linda would sneak her grandkids sugary snacks, ice cream, scribblers, and her famous lemonade that was more sugar than water. Sometimes, she would sneak them sugar cubes or spoonfuls of straight sugar!
Linda is survived by her children, Hap (Kathy) Olsen, Nanci (Tim) Dennis, R. Jeremy (Amber) Haider, Derek (Jenny) Haider and Randy (Amy) Haider; 17 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her eternal companion, Ronald W. Haider; her parents, Rufus and LaVee Hatch; and her youngest granddaughter, Stacie Olsen.
Linda’s family would like to extend a special thanks to Randi at Serenity Hospice, and Deana and her staff at Spring Gardens Assisted Living of Linden, Utah, for their selfless and loving care of Linda.
Viewings were held Sunday, June 23 and Monday, June 24. The funeral was at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 24, at the Evanston South Stake Center.
Interment was at the Evanston Cemetery.
