Born on a warm, sunny day in Marshalltown, Iowa on June 11, 1949, Linda K. Person spent her childhood and youth in Iowa. She became a registered nurse after attending Iowa Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing. She earned her bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of the State of New York, and then a master of science degree in nursing from the University of Hawaii. Inspired by the loss of her sister to cancer, she achieved advanced certification as an oncology nurse. This educational foundation launched her into an adventurous 40+-year career in cancer nursing in which she touched the lives of countless patients, bringing them education, empathy, and courage, as well as improved cancer care. Starting in Minneapolis, Linda was part of the vanguard of hospice nursing in the 1970s. When she moved to Honolulu, she supervised a surgical ward of Kaiser Permanente’s Moanalua Hospital and also mentored countless junior nurses, a sharing of knowledge and attitude that enhanced many lives and careers throughout her service to others. Seizing the opportunity to join the family at the renowned Norris Cancer Hospital at the University of Southern California as an oncology clinical nurse specialist, she developed deeply collaborative relationships with myriad oncology clinicians, all dedicated to the well-being of people affected by cancer.
Linda’s talents were recognized far beyond the clinical walls. Among the many who took note, the Hawaii Chapter of the American Cancer Society honored her excellence in cancer care by naming her Mana’olana (Nurse of Hope) in 1992. She served as President of the Greater Los Angeles Oncology Nursing Society, moving on to the Nominating Committee of the national organization. She was also a reviewer for the Oncology Nursing Forum, the national journal, and mentored many in how to write and submit for publication, as well as being published herself. Linda volunteered to serve as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, where she was lauded for her leadership, educational and organizational abilities, and where she was promoted to major.
As much as Linda’s life was filled by her passion for nursing, she developed a vibrant life outside of that realm as well. A true sportswoman throughout her life, she developed into a skilled synchronized swimmer and competed in the backstroke in the Olympic trials in her early years, a love of water that later translated into countless hours in the pool with her niece and nephew. She drove sportscars and flew aircraft with skill and panache. While in Hawaii, a place that she would come to cherish for the rest of her life, she immersed herself in the local culture to such a degree that she learned how to make her own leis and danced in a hālau (a hula group) that performed in the celebrated and revered Merrie Monarch Festival of hula. She advocated for the welfare of dogs, adopting many, including a puppy-mill breeding dog whom she adopted and lovingly socialized. She was an avid sports fan and spent many hours watching and bantering about sports with her father and many weekend mornings in Hawaii (where weekend games are broadcast at 7AM) watching and commentating on football with her nephew-in-law. Her life was resplendent with people she fiercely loved and who fiercely loved her back—including her family and her friends and colleagues in Hawaii and Los Angeles. Culinarily, she endeared herself to many with her famous Harvey Wallbanger cake. But the magical combination of her smile, wit, intelligence and compassion endeared her to all.
Linda died on October 3, 2014 following a long illness. She was preceded in death by her father and mother, C. Gayle Person and Doris Person, and her sister, Karen Weuve. She is survived by her niece and nephew-in-law, Jennifer Weuve and Jeffrey Gitelle, and nephew and niece-in-law, Derrick and Cathi Weuve. A celebration of her spectacular life is scheduled on October 30, 2014 at the medical campus of the University of Southern California. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory would be warmly welcomed by the Oncology Nursing Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing opportunities for oncology nurses to further their education, research and leadership skills.