SANIBEL, Fla. — Linda T. Sturgis, long time resident of Shell Point Village and Sanibel FL, died July 24, 2015 at age 96. Born 1918 in New York City, she was a graduate of Oldfields School and Smith College. As a child the family spent summers at the Tahawus Club and the North Woods Club in the Adirondack Mountains.

She married Norman R Sturgis in 1942 and they had two sons, Nat and Jack. Linda and Norman lived for many years in Saranac Lake, NY where they owned and operated the Adirondack Store and Gallery. In the early 1980’s they moved to Sanibel and spent summers in Small Point, Maine.

A gracious, intelligent, engaging presence in the lives of all who knew her, Linda had a great sense of humor and a genuine interest in others. She was an advocate for those less fortunate and volunteered for organizations she believed important. A world traveler, she lived life like she drove, with speed and determination and only the occasional mishap.

She was proceeded in death by her husband Norman, and her sisters Bertha Donahue and Josephine Brune. She is survived by her two sons in Montana; Nathaniel and wife Margo and their children Christine Littig (Marco), Candice Neaves, and David Seitz; and by John T.T. and his son Jesse (Amber) and daughter Laura Buchholtz (Dan). Linda has nine great grandchildren.

A celebration of her life will take place in Small Point, Maine in September. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sanibel- Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF.org), or the Phippsburg Land Trust (phippsburglandtrust.org).