Linda Lee (Bergman) Stelting

Linda Lee (Bergman) Stelting of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, passed away unexpectedly on July 6, 2025, surrounded by peace and the love of her family at the age of 77.

Linda was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the beloved daughter of Bonnie (Anderson) Bergman. Her father was Vernon Bergman. She graduated from Richfield High School in 1965, and began working for the federal government shortly thereafter. Fate then brought her to Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, to meet Charles “Chuck” Stelting. They married on August 2, 1969, in Richfield, Minnesota, and lived a life full of love, professional dedication and family.

Chuck’s job transfers often led Linda to start over in various positions throughout the country. She worked as a secretary at the Department of Agriculture in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Department of Defense in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Drug Enforcement Administration in Houston, Texas, and the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, California. She retired in 2004 from the Drug Enforcement Administration in New Orleans, Louisiana, as an Investigative Assistant after receiving excellent performance awards throughout her career.

Linda was an avid gardener who created and cared for a high desert oasis in her New Mexico backyard with her husband. She excelled at sewing and other crafts and was the family’s respected go-to seamstress. Linda enjoyed true crime stories on television, and never missed the news. She was our own house detective; the finder of important lost items, the remover of mystery laundry stains, the fixer of hopelessly tangled things and the online discoverer of our genealogy. She was the beloved center of her family–our Babe, our Mama, our Monner–and her loss will be felt immensely.

Remaining to cherish Linda’s memory are her husband, Chuck Stelting; children Brandy Del Rio and Charles “Chad” Stelting; granddaughter Elena Del Rio; sister and brother-in-law Susan and Ronald Barton, their son Chris Barton, and numerous cherished family members and dear friends.

Preceding Linda in death are her mother, Bonnie Bergman; father, Vernon Bergman; and infant sister Terri Leann Bergman.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, following her cremation. Memorial donations in Linda’s name can be made to St. Jude’s’s Children’s Research Hospital, and any kind and loving thought or prayer in her name would be appreciated by her family.