Linda Marie (Collins) Lytle

       Linda Marie Lytle, age 79 of Chesterton, Indiana, passed away on Saturday, May 18, 2024, from injuries sustained in a car accident.  She was accompanied during her passing by all her children, and her granddaughter and grandson as they turned the hospital room into a family atmosphere full of love.

       She was born on May 20, 1944, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Donald and Isabel Collins, now deceased.  Linda married Brian Derek Lytle on February 14, 1964, in Chesterton, Indiana, and he preceded her in death on June 22, 1997.

       Linda is survived by her oldest son Dave Lytle of Arlington, Texas, with his wife Carolyn and daughter Ellie.  Also, her daughter Denise of Chesterton Indiana, with her husband Mike, and their daughter Heather and son Jonathan, plus Heather and her husband Alex’s children Danny and Aurora.   Lastly her youngest son Steve of Tehachapi, California, with his wife Stephanie and their daughter Eliza.

       Linda was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin until around age 5.  Her parent then moved to Chesterton, Indiana to run a plant nursery in Porter, Indiana.  Don was also school bus driver and would later own the Phillips 66 Gas Station on Broadway in Chesterton.  Isabel was a housewife that raised their only child Linda and helped develop her love of books.  They gave her all their attention, with some of their favorite activities being going camping and being outdoors. 

       Linda attended Chesterton High School where she would meet her sweetheart Brian Lytle.  Her parents warned her that they were not too sure of this rough boy, which of course only made her like him even more.  Linda began a career as a secretary in Chicago, riding the train from the Chesterton station into work.  Brian was attending Indiana University but left school so they could be married on February 14, 1964.  Like many who live in the area, he worked in the steel mills to support his family, while Linda became a housewife.  They got a house in the Morgan Park neighborhood, before eventually moving out to the country in Jackson Township.

       They created a house full of love and fun.  Linda did her household duties with gusto and relished her role as mother.  Both her and Brian never complained, taught their kids a good work ethic, but most important, to have had fun.  Laughter and music reverberated through the house, and vacations were spent taking camping trips.  Favorite family activities included going to Lake Michigan for a swim, playing cards and boardgames, playing in the backyard, watching the Cubs, and having fires at night.    

       Linda nearly died of a brain aneurysm in her thirties.  It was long road back for her following this injury, but she showed tremendous strength in her recovery and throughout her life.  Speaking of challenges, after the kids had all left home, Brian passed away in 1997.   Her kids worried about how she would fare without the love of her life, as he did everything for her.  But she turned into a social butterfly making friends with a club of widows called the “Ladybugs,” the McDonald’s crew she would meet with for breakfast, people she to go on nature walks with, people at StoryPoint, and reconnecting with old friends she had lost touch with such as her high school reunion bunch.  Her kids were very proud of her staying so active.  Speaking of which, later in life she was blessed with grandchildren and then even great grandchildren.  She spent loads of time with them having fun, but also helping to raise them.  Especially her grandchildren as she babysat them while her daughter and son-in-law worked to help the family tremendously.

       Linda's family will be having a Celebration of Life from 5:30-7:30 on May 22, 2024, in the private room at AJ’s Pizza, 3050 Matson St, Chesterton, IN 46304.   Please no flowers or gifts.  We just want your attendance if you can make it, but if you cannot, please send cards to The Harts, 355 E, 1300 N.
 

Professional arrangements are entrusted to White-Love Funeral Home, Chesterton, IN. 

Online condolences may be made to the family at https://www.whitelovefuneralhome.com/

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