Linda Sailer

A Liturgy of the Word for Linda Sailer, 76, of Dickinson will be 11:00 am Thursday, August 8, 2024 at Stevenson Funeral Home with Deacon Ron Keller officiating. Burial will follow at St. Joseph's Cemetery.

Visitation for Linda will be 4:00 - 7:00 pm Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at Stevenson Funeral Home with a Rosary and Time of Sharing starting at 6:00 pm. Visitation will resume an hour prior to the service on Thursday. 

Linda passed away on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at CHI St. Alexius Hospital in Dickinson.

Linda Ann Sailer was born in Elgin, North Dakota on April 3, 1948 to Thomas and Christine Kuntz. She grew up in a stone house on the family farm in Grant County along with her four siblings. Linda would say she’s a prairie person who enjoyed picking wildflowers for her mom. Neighbors were like family. She helped her dad by driving the Ford tractor to collect hay. She never forgot the resiliency it took to survive on the prairie.

 Her early school years were at a true country school in a single classroom. She began her journey to Hebron High School on a big yellow bus. She helped launch the yearbook and was named Homecoming Queen her senior year. Linda graduated from Hebron High School in 1966. She planned to be a teacher and attended NDSU where she majored in Physical Education.

 Duane and Linda attended high school together but bonded over studying and ping pong in college. She married Duane Sailer on December 27, 1969, and they moved to Dickinson to be closer to their parents. She accepted a job at The Dickinson Press and settled into life in Dickinson. They become parents to Mark in 1971 and Carrie 9 years later. Those were good years highlighted by baseball, camping trips, visiting the farm, and playing endless games with family.

 She served as the Lifestyle Editor for The Dickinson Press covering the community’s stories with passion for over 50 years. Linda always had a camera around her neck just in case she might stumble upon a story that needed to be told.

 Linda was a fierce competitor who enjoyed playing softball with her coworkers and challenging her family to games. After every holiday meal, she gathered her siblings, nieces, and nephews around the table to play games and share stories.

 Throughout her life she loved gardening, a skill she acquired from her mother. She believed nothing tasted better than a meal grown and harvested from her own garden.

 Linda’s grandchildren brought her immense joy. She was the first to get on the floor to race cars, play school, read books, or color. She took her grandchildren to the park and the ocean to play in the sand. She treasured watching Alexander play baseball and Cassandra dance at recitals. More recently, she and Julian built elaborate block structures, created theatre productions, and enjoyed dance parties.

 Linda will be remembered for her competitive spirit, inquisitive nature, and infectious laugh.

 Linda is survived by her husband, Duane, and children Mark (Melissa) Sailer of Foothill Ranch, CA, and Carrie Sailer (Daniel Toms) of Portland, OR; siblings David Kuntz, Joan Curl, and Tom Kuntz; and sister-in-law Rosemarie Kuntz and several beloved nieces and nephews. She leaves behind three grandchildren, Alexander Sailer, Cassandra Sailer, and Julian Toms. She is preceded in death by her father, Thomas, mother, Christine, and brother, Robert.

 In lieu of flowers, the family is accepting donations to establish a North Dakota journalism scholarship in Linda’s honor.