Linda Kay (Nugent) Schaff, 82, born December 24, 1943, in Aberdeen, SD, passed away on September 20, 2026. She was reunited with her beloved husband of 33 years, Richard “Dick” G. Schaff.
A graduate of the University of Jamestown in North Dakota, Linda and Dick moved to Turlock, CA, in 1967 to teach first grade at Crowell Elementary School. In 1972, she stepped away from teaching to focus on raising her family. In 1985, she returned to teaching with the Stanislaus County Office of Education alternative study program, helping students meet their educational goals. She retired from teaching in 1997 and went on to study massage therapy. She opened her own massage therapy practice in Turlock and served the local community until 2015.
Linda also volunteered with local hospice providers, offering comfort, respite, and massage care to infants, patients, and families. Active in the Catholic Campus Community out of CSU Stanislaus, she was involved heavily with the community and formed lifelong bonds with the "Church Ladies", lovingly earning the nickname "The Pope".
“Grammie” loved spending hot summers swimming with her five grandchildren, listening to classical music, reading, completing crosswords, and drinking tea and wine with friends. Diagnosed with dementia in 2011, she was lovingly cared for by her family for the last 15 years of her life.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard; her mother and step-father, Doris (Hoffman) and Robert Hirsch; her father and step-mother, Dr. Milton and Joan Nugent; her parents-in-law, Edmund and Celestine (Hirsch) Schaff.
She is survived by her sisters, Nancy Beaty and Kathleen Hall; her children, Ken Schaff (Tanya) and Kara Anguiano (Juan); her five grandchildren (Jewel, Gem, Vinnie, Aidan, and Jake); one great-grandson; as well as many step-siblings, extended family, and dear friends.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 3:00 PM at Allen Mortuary, followed by a celebration of life at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, CA. Guests are invited to wear blue, her favorite color. Memorial donations may be made to the Community Hospice and Health Services Foundation.
