Linda Shields Martin

Linda Shields Martin, lovingly known to many as “Mummy Martin,” graduated from Earth on July 30, 2024 in her beloved home in Fairfield, Ohio. She joined her husband, Gene Kenneth Martin, who had graduated six days earlier on July 24, 2024.

Linda was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 29, 1943 and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio with her parents Charles Rushton Shields (1915 1995) and Margaret Jane Peckinpaugh Shields (1915-1996). She is survived by her younger brother Day (Elaine) Shields.

In her youth, Linda loved horseback riding and working as a summer camp counselor. She was always an avid reader who loved to learn. Her children would often come home from school each day to find her reading her latest book on her bed with an empty lunch plate nearby.

Linda received her Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University (BYU) where she enjoyed learning a variety of skills such as speed reading, bowling and fencing.

While attending BYU, she participated in a service project sending cookies to men serving in the Vietnam War. Gene Martin received her cookies and they fell in love through letters and phone calls while he finished his time in the Navy off the coast of Japan. Upon meeting Linda, Gene’s intuitive grandmother told him “C’est une bonne femme” (“She is a good woman”), which confirmed to Gene that he had made the right choice.

Linda and Gene were married on February 1, 1969 and later sealed in the Manti, Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They lived in Utah, Texas and Wisconsin, and ultimately settled in Fairfield, Ohio. Along the way they had five children: Kerry (James) Christensen, Michael (Kerri) Martin, Debra Martin, Chris (Sokha) Martin, and Nicole (Thomas) Weber, with sixteen years separating the oldest from the youngest. They currently have 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Linda spent much of her life serving in various church positions, but her favorite calling was teaching an early morning Seminary class to the youth at 5:30am before they headed off to school each day. She was also active in the community, delivering Meals on Wheels, taking an active stand against pornography, and volunteering at an elementary school to help children needing additional assistance.

One of Linda’s favorite pastimes was traveling. She was privileged to tour Europe for three weeks with her parents and eldest daughter. Years later she made an additional visit to Paris to pick up her son, Michael, after he served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She also checked a trip off her bucket list when she visited Egypt and The Holy Land (Israel) with two of her daughters. She enjoyed seeing all of the ancient temples and historic sights but especially loved the bumpy ride on her camel Moses! Linda’s very favorite place to go was the Bahamas where her parents owned a home on a small island. She enjoyed the sun, the sand and the sound where she would sit all day in her favorite spot at West Beach under the casuarina trees. She enjoyed floating the crystal clear waters in her inflatable “tutu” and looking for fish. She was always hoping to not catch a glimpse of “Barry the Barracuda” who usually seemed to be curiously lurking nearby!

Linda was entrepreneurially minded which is something she learned from her father. Linda began teaching piano lessons when her children were young so she could do what she loved and still be in the home for her family. As her children began leaving for college she started her own tutoring business in Fairfield called LIFe Learning (Learning is Fun). She operated that business for over 20 years, hiring several wonderful tutors, including her husband, to assist her in helping hundreds of children with their schoolwork from elementary through high school.

Linda was a light and a friend to all who knew her. Her legacy will live on in the many lives she touched, especially through her talent of teaching.

Linda’s final resting place will be next to her husband Gene in the Garden of Eternal Love at Butler County Memorial Park.

A joint Celebration of Life Open House for Linda and Gene will take place at their home in Fairfield, Ohio on Saturday August 10, 2024 from 3-5pm. Please text or call their daughter Nicole at (513) 238-9970 if you need additional information.

In lieu of sending flowers or gifts, please consider sitting down with a child and reading them a book in Linda’s honor so they can also see that “Learning is fun!”

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