Patricia Irene Tuttle Lineback's Obituary
Patricia Irene Tuttle Lineback passed away on February 16 one week after suffering a massive stroke. She was close to finishing her 90th year. She passed away surrounded by her children and went home to family, friends, and her husband, the late Dr. Merrill Ingham Lineback.
Pat was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1934. She became a registered nurse and met her husband at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She and Dad had always looked for "a church that teaches the true teachings of Jesus." That search culminated in the spring of 1964, when the children's 15-year-old babysitter, and friend of the family, acted on "every member of missionary "and told Mom about the Church of Jesus Christ. Mom read the Doctrine and Covenants and said: This sounds like God! The babysitter's father, who worked at the Pentagon, said: Merrill, we have two young men who can come over and teach you the Gospel.
Late that fall, she and Dad decided to take their children to Salt Lake City to be sealed to them in the Temple. He was ill with heart disease, so the trip was risky. Beginning in November, she drove "the wagon" while Dad lay ill in the back, and an older member of the ward volunteered to drive the truck. They traveled south to avoid the snow. In Meridian, Mississippi, the engine blew. For two weeks, Mom worked as a nurse in the local hospital to pay for repairs.
When they arrived in Nephi, Utah, the altitude made it hard for Dad to breathe. As soon as they got to Salt Lake City, she rushed him to the VA hospital. Two days later, he died – three days before Christmas.
Deseret News columnist Steve Hale wrote a Christmas story about her plight. A 30-year-old widow, with five children under the age of 10, had lost her husband just days before Christmas. The news story had people in the valley rally to help her family – with envelopes of pennies, dimes, nickels, and dollars.
These strangers blessed her little family. They offered her a job at LDS Hospital, where for 30 years, she worked in the ICU, the Trauma Unit, and finally, the IV team.
Her home was always open to family and friends, and she blessed the lives of many others in the Avenues, where her children made lifelong friends. She had two more children by a later marriage.
Pat provided a good life for all of her children, working nights, and sacrificing sleep so that she could be at home when they returned from school.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her mother, Nama, her brother John, Aunt Hitter, Daddy Doug and Mother Doug, Uncle Bob, and Aunt Henri. She is survived by her 7 children, 11 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.
Grandma Pat requested no funeral service, but her children will hold a graveside memorial in the spring. In lieu of flowers, she would want donations made to a veteran's cause or a favorite charity.
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