Janet Hallam Linde

Janet Hallam Linde, beloved wife of David Wayne Linde and mother of David Stuart Linde, Alyson (Linde) Akers, and Kimberly (Linde) Erwin, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 24, 2025.

Services will be held at 10 am on Monday, December 1, 2025 at La Plata Baptist Church, 9400 Old Stagecoach Road, La Plata, Maryland 20646.

Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to any of the following: Hospice of the Chesapeake (www.hospicechesapeake.org), La Plata Baptist Church (www.laplatabaptistchurch.org), Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (www.mymsaa.org), or the National Audubon Society (www.act.audubon.org).

Janet was born on June 21, 1938, in Baltimore, Maryland to Robert Arthur Hallam and Elaine (Hopwood) Hallam. An only child, Janet was particularly close to her grandparents, marveling at her grandmother's skill in the kitchen and her grandfather's ability to work with his hands. She spent hours devouring books of all kinds, but her favorite was Swiss Family Robinson, as the castaway family's creative efforts to make their way in an island wilderness appealed to her practical soul.

Janet came to know the Lord Jesus as a child, and hungry to know more about Him, she would walk to church each week, often by herself. It was her habit to talk to God at all times, a practice which was a lifelong comfort and help.

Janet met David, the love of her life, in high school. Both knew the relationship was serious but prioritized finishing college before getting married. While David went to school in New York, Janet worked her way through a Bachelor of Arts in Education at Towson University by modeling at Stewart's Department Store in Baltimore.

It was always Janet's desire to have a home and children of her own, so while she spent the early years of her marriage teaching school with excellence and much commendation, she left her chosen profession to raise her three children.

David's career moved the family twelve different times over the years. Janet managed each transition with grace, doing all she could to minimize the impact of constant change on the children, and energetically attending to the practicalities of setting up new houses and finding community wherever the family landed. She was known for her organizational skills and had a love for seeing new places. Janet was a skilled cook, and her recipes – obtained over the years from cooks around the country, before the days of the internet – are still staples in her children's kitchens.

Janet spent her final years battling the terrible disease of dementia. Even as each year took more from her, she fought to hold on to some sense of order. To the end, she did not lose awareness of who God was to her, and she did not forget her husband of 64 years or children.

Before disease ravaged her mind, she once wrote, "The most important thing in my life was to know and love God. It has not mattered what trial we encountered because for me, it has been possible always to look back and see how He has been there."

It is sweet to reflect that now Janet is joyful and at peace, resting in the arms of her Savior.

Janet is survived by her loving husband David Wayne Linde, her son David Stuart Linde (Pamela Linde) of Trevor, WI, her daughter Alyson Linde Akers (Michael Akers) of Texarkana, TX, her daughter Kimberly Linde Erwin (Christopher Erwin) of White Plains, MD, and her eight grandchildren, Daniel, Karissa and Jacob Linde, Marshall and Nora Akers, and Abby, Sean, and Nate Erwin.

Her family would like to express particular gratitude to Hospice of the Chesapeake, the members of La Plata Baptist Church, and the caregivers at Harmony at Waldorf, particularly Cedrena Veney, Director of Harmony Square.