Linda Z. Ardrey

Linda Z. Ardrey. Born May 10th, 1948. Died September 18th, 2016. Linda was born at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford, MA, and died after a long illness at the Tippett Home in Needham, MA. Linda had survived multiple myeloma with a stem cell transplant in 2007 but came down with endometrial cancer in 2009, for which she had a successful hysterectomy. However, it recurred in 2013 and she had a three-year long struggle with the disease. She went through this ordeal with grace, stamina and a wonderful sense of humor. Her parents, Frank and Rita Zammarchi, moved to Winchester, MA, where the family lived for many years at 19 Ridge Street. Linda attended Winchester public schools and graduated from Winchester High School in 1966. She then attended Emmanuel College and graduated with honors in 1970. She worked for five years as an art teacher with the Boston Schools and taught primarily at the West Roxbury High School. Then for many years she worked and later managed Art Asia, at first on Church Street in Cambridge, and later on Newbury Street in Boston. Subsequently she became a freelance technical illustrator and did many projects for departments at MIT and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She and husband, Daniel Ardrey, were married on April 19th, 1975. They had two children, Jonathan born in 1982 and Rachel born in 1986. The family loved to travel to Europe, especially Italy, where Linda's family was originally from the province of Parma, and she later acquired Italian citizenship along with her American one. She and her husband Dan particularly loved Rome where he grew up. They also traveled extensively in the United States, including the Southwest, which they also loved. She was an artist who was a beautiful draftsman and colorist but had little interest in displaying her work. She loved to read non fiction and history in particular, especially the role of women in history, and she created and participated in several reading groups over the years. She enjoyed doing counted cross-stitch, which she'd learned as a child from a neighbor, and loved to cook, especially discovering gluten and yeast free recipes, which helped her husband manage a chronic illness of many years. She was a devoted and loving mother to her children and there is no way to replace such a wonderful kind, caring and witty person except to honor her memory in our lives. She leaves behind her husband, Dan, her son, Jonathan, her daughter, Rachel, her sister, Janet Johnson, and her brother and his wife, Frank and Marianne Zammarchi. Her private funeral service will be held at the Bigelow Chapel, Mt Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA. Her life will also be celebrated at a resurrection mass at St Clements Holy Apostolic Church in Boston in the spring. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in memory of Linda Ardrey to support Dr. Susana Campos's GYN Research Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or gifts may be made to support Arbalest Press. Please email info@arbalestpress.com for more information on how to donate on Linda's behalf.