Linda Louise Saunders

Linda Louise Saunders, 70, of Ipswich, MA, passed away peacefully Sunday  January 6, 2019 with her loving family by her side after a three-year battle with lung cancer.  She was born to the late Lillian E. (Brown) Cwiekand Walter J. Cwiek, June 14, 1948, in Providence, Rhode Island.   Linda graduated from Pilgrim High School in 1966 and received a BS in Medical Technology from the University of Rhode Island in 1970.She went on to complete a Masters in Public Health at Boston University.  In 1982, Linda left her beloved Rhode Island and moved to Ipswich, MA. Linda loved Little Neck and has enhanced its beauty for over 36 years. She had many jobs throughout her life including Medical Technologist, Epidemiologist, and Small Business owner.  Linda will be lovingly remembered by her two children: Jennifer Sutherland Gerrard, of Madison, CT; and Derek Sutherland, of Ipswich, MA and their significant others Jason Gerrard and Brier Webber as well as her step-daughters Betsy Oski, Kimberly Brown, and Trisha Saunders and their spouses Jonathan Oski, Randall Brown, and John Bresnahan. Linda will be forever remembered by her twelve adored grandchildren Lilliana, Abigail, Cameron, Jacob, Maya, Aspen, Sara, Josh, Travis, Tracey, Andrea, Ellie and two great-grandchildren Finn and Rye.She also leaves behind her loving brothers Raymond Cwiek and Walter Cweik their spouses Karen Cwiek and Ivette Cwiek and numerous adoring friends and family. 

Linda was a dedicated fun-loving mother first and foremost. She treasured her children and embraced every moment with them. She especially loved her role as Grammy and always gave of her time and heart. She had a vivacious personality and was eternally optimistic even throughout her illness. She made friends everywhere she went.  She treasured Little Neck and all of the wonderful friends that she made there.  She loved dancing, music, travel, and was always reading… a lifelong learner.  She loved nature and the outdoors which she made sure to pass on to her children and grandchildren.She was a woman of boundless energy and strength who worked hard and loved to celebrate life. 

A Memorial funeral mass will be celebrated Saturday, January 12th at 10:00 A.M. at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church 54 Linebrook Road, Ipswich, MA relatives and friends are respectfully invited.  There are no visiting hours.  Assisting the family is the Morris Funeral Home of Ipswich.  To send a condolence please go to:  MorrisFH.com .

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Linda Saunders can be made to the Thoracic Oncology Translational Research Fund.  Please make check payable to Smilow Cancer Hospital and mail to YNHH Development, P.O. Box 1849, New Haven, CT 06508.  Please include Linda’s name on the memo line.  Secure online gifts can be made at www.givetoynhh.org.  Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women, killing more women each year than breast cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer combined. Like Linda, 20 percent of women who develop lung cancer never smoked.Lung cancer is increasing in young, never-smoking women. Please assist us in finding a cure for this terrible disease.

Yet, beyond financial donations, Linda always lived by the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated. i.e. Do a loving act of kindness, make someone laugh, send a card, give a hug, or say “I love you” to someone special in her memory.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Linda Louise Saunders, please visit our floral store.