Linda Susan Umstead

On Saturday, November 18, 2023 as the sun was setting on a mild late autumn day, Linda Susan Umstead, age 72, slipped into eternity to be embraced in the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was surrounded by her family.  Linda was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on September 9, 1951 to Robert and Roberta (Goul) Scripsema. She was educated in the East Grand Rapids Public Schools and graduated from East Grand Rapids High School in 1969. She furthered her education at Grand Rapids Junior College and Western Michigan University where she graduated with a BA in elementary education. She later earned her Masters degree in elementary education from Michigan State University.  For forty-one years, Linda taught early elementary, mostly kindergarten, in the Comstock Park Public School System. Her impact on thousands of students, parents and teachers cannot be overstated. She poured her heart into her craft, never cutting corners to provide the best possible education to her students, and she was beloved in return. Classroom lessons turned into lifetime hobbies, collecting monarch butterfly eggs and nurturing their transformation. She enjoyed everything about God’s beautiful creation, taking pictures, kayaking, spending time at the family cabin on the Manistee river and in fellowship with her friends. More than anything, she loved her family. 

Surviving are her husband of forty-four years, Rob Umstead; four children, Nathan and Vanessa Umstead, Emily and Paul Pearson, Megan and Mark Williams, Ashley and Ryan VanRavenswaay; ten grandchildren, Daniel (5) and Margaux (10m) Umstead, Miles (11), Naomi(9) and Charlotte (5) Pearson, Reese (8), Loui (5) and Andie (2) Williams, Luca (4) and Lena (1) VanRavenswaay. She is also survived by her brother, Paul and Karen Scripsema, sister-in-law, Anita and Mike Collison and four nieces.

The family will receive friends at the Metcalf and Jonkhoff Funeral Home from 4-7pm on Wednesday, November 29, and from 10-11am on Thursday, November 30, in the chapel at Calvary Church. Funeral services will be held at 11:00am, Thursday, November 30 at Calvary Church, 707 East Beltline Ave NE.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Linda’s honor to The Ronald McDonald House or The Jerusalem Project.

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