Linda Lonneman Kitz, 78, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on October 25, 2024. She is survived by her daughter, Taylor Kitz of Chicago, Illinois, and her children, Connor Wood (10) and Daphne Wood (7); her stepson Kevin Kitz (Stephanie) of Boise, Idaho, and their children, Kelsie Kitz of Boise and Colin Kitz of Salt Lake City, Utah; and her stepdaughter Jamie Kitz of Santa Cruz, California.
Linda was one of those people who makes writing an obituary feel impossible. One of the top three adjectives used to describe her is "private." (The other top two are polite, wistful phrases such as, "She was…who she was," or, more often than not, just using her name to describe her: "She was just…Linda.")
She did things on her own terms and in her own time. Sometimes that meant deciding at 11pm to rip up all the carpets in a room and spending the entire night doing just that. Sometimes that meant packing up her life to go save animals in New Orleans after Katrina. Most often it meant that nobody quite knew what she had her mind set on next.
She could hold many seemingly opposite beliefs and experiences at the same time. Working for her entire adult career as a flight attendant, she never overcame her near-crippling fear of flying. Starting in Dallas in 1963 working for American Airlines, she lived in New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., San Diego, Amherst, NH, and finally Bradenton, FL. She described herself as one of the last people who still wore white gloves in San Francisco in the late 60s. Nobody who knew her well had any trouble believing this.
At the end, nobody – including Linda herself – knew she was as sick as she was. It wasn't all shocking to learn she hadn't been to a doctor in 20 years. She went out of this world the way she inhabited it: surprising everyone.
Linda was arty. She was unwavering in her views, political and otherwise (but often political). She was witty. She was guarded. She loved shopping. She was funny. She was a collector with impeccable taste. She loved holidays and always made them special. She was an immovable force.
She was…Linda.
And she'll never be forgotten.
In accordance with her wishes, there will not be a funeral ceremony. Instead, her daughter Taylor will be making donations in her name to local animal shelters in cities Linda lived during her life, and spreading her ashes in those places over the next few years. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: The Bishop Animal Center of Bradenton, the Best Friends Animal Society, or a local animal shelter in your community.
