Linda Tapio

Linda Tapio passed away peacefully, at the age of 74, on March 1, 2025, in Sacramento, California, following a long illness.

She was born on Dec. 7, 1950, to Aili and Edward Huhta of Jacobsville, Michigan. Linda graduated from Lake Linden-Hubbell High School in 1969 and from the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1971.

On April 24, 1971, she married Glenn Tapio, then a ROTC student at Michigan Tech University. Linda worked as a staff nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital and welcomed two sons, Chris and Eric, while living in the Copper Country. In 1973, Glenn enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, beginning a life of travel and adventure for their family.

Over the next 20 years, they lived in Texas, Germany, Alabama, Ohio, Florida, and Northern California. No matter where they were stationed, Linda and the family returned to the Upper Peninsula every summer to reconnect with loved ones, hunt for rocks, and enjoy pasties, summer sausage, fresh-picked berries, and smoked fish.

Linda was a dedicated mother, serving as a Cub Scout leader for her boys and volunteering as a nurse at military clinics. As her children grew older, she resumed her nursing career, eventually specializing in home health and developing a passion for hospice care.

In 1994, after two decades away, Linda and Glenn returned to the Keweenaw Peninsula to care for their aging parents. She continued her career in home health and hospice, helping found Omega House in Houghton and often braving the U.P.’s harsh winters to visit patients. Linda frequently discovered personal connections with those she cared for — many knew her parents or shared ties to her childhood.

Following Glenn’s passing in 2010, Linda remained in Chassell with her beloved dog, Sarah. Linda cherished the Copper Country, finding joy in berry picking, the changing autumn leaves, and interacting with the people she met every day. A proud Finn, she embodied sisu and fulfilled her lifelong dream of visiting Finland in 2017.

Not long after, she reconnected with a longtime family friend, Ernie Kuusisto of Lake Linden, and they married on Oct. 27, 2018.

As Linda’s health declined and eventually required around-the-clock attention, she was relocated to Northern California in March 2020 to be under the care of her sons. There, she remained in the loving company of her boys, with frequent visits from her husband, until her passing.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Aili and Edward; her sister, Lillian; and her husband, Glenn. She is survived by her second husband, Ernie Kuusisto of Lake Linden; her sons, Chris Tapio (Carrie) of Sacramento, California, and Eric Tapio (Lulu) of Burlingame, California; five grandchildren–Emily, Nicholas, Isaac, Chloe, and Katie; her late sister’s six children–Gail, Valerie, Rachel, Matthew, Cynthia, and Louise; and two sisters-in-law–Sally and Mary Ellen. 

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church at 7595 Center Parkway, Sacramento, CA 95823. A burial in Jacobsville, Michigan, will take place on July 11, 2025.