Linda Jean Zimmer Machado Paterson passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, December 27, 2022 at St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center. She was born in Hagerstown, Maryland on January 4, 1952, the oldest daughter of Harold and Darlene Zimmer. Linda attended schools in Hagerstown until her family moved to Camp Hill, Pennsylvania after her sophomore year. She graduated from Cumberland Valley High School in 1970. Linda earned her bachelor degree in Psychology at Elizabethtown College after initially majoring in Music with emphasis in pipe organ. After graduation she worked in the insurance industry as a claims examiner specializing in litigation investigation. In 1979, her employer asked if she would accept a transfer away from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Honolulu, Hawaii. She accepted with little hesitation!
This move led to another key event: meeting Howard Machado, a lifelong Hawaii resident and chief pilot for Hawaiian Airlines. Linda and Howard married in 1983. On many Sundays in Honolulu, she was a substitute pipe organist at a number of churches of various denominations. After marrying Howard, she enrolled at Chaminade University and earned a Master in Business Administration with emphasis in Accountancy. She was very proud of passing the CPA exam in one try. She admitted later that if she had not passed the exam the first time she didn’t think she would have taken it again because in 1988, a day after her 36th birthday, Linda gave birth to their daughter, Ashley. Linda was thrilled to welcome Ashley into their lives and found great joy in motherhood. In 1993, Linda, Howard, and Ashley moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to Linda’s family. Linda returned to the workforce as a CPA for small and large firms before becoming an audit manager for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a niche unit specializing in high value tax returns.
After the death of Howard on December 21, 1995 due to a heart attack, Linda faced the kind of loss and grief that no young family is ever remotely prepared for. It was just Linda and Ashley for many years until she met Gary Paterson, who moved from Idaho to work for the Rite Aid Corporation in Pennsylvania. The couple would always recall the numbers 3/4/5 after meeting for the first time on March 4, 2005, when Linda’s friend and Gary’s neighbor, Bonnie, arranged for them to meet at a Friday happy hour. On the 17-year anniversary of that day, Linda shared the details in a Facebook post:
Bonnie had forgotten to tell him my name and when he arrived I was one of several ladies sitting in a booth so he had no idea who exactly he was to meet. Gary politely introduced himself and shook hands with each of us as he worked his way around the table. I was the last one and the table had just been served a round of drinks. As he reached out to shake my hand, his hand hit the straw of my drink so the first words I ever said to him were a stern “Don’t spill my scotch!” to which he replied, “Pleased to meet you, too.”
Two days later, Linda and Gary had their first “date” at a Gershwin recital in Linda’s church. Four months later, Gary took her to his home in McCall. Overwhelmed by the beauty of the central Idaho mountains, Linda fell in love with the state. Love for Gary came a bit later. On December 28, 2006, Gary proposed to Linda at the top of Brundage Mountain, and they were married on August 25, 2007 in Camp Hill. Linda always told friends it was “an unofficial pre-nup” for her to take up snow skiing. The couple built a beautiful home together in Camp Hill, where they loved to entertain and welcome friends, but continued to visit their McCall home as much as possible. After retiring in 2015, they sold the Camp Hill home and drove their 43’ motorcoach on a seven week trip to their new home in Eagle, Idaho.
Determined to improve her skills on the slopes, Linda took many skiing lessons over the years. In the summer months, she loved kayaking the peaceful waters of the North Fork of the Payette River and gathering huckleberries, which she would sort, clean, and freeze for use in dozens of recipes, including drinks, treats, and desserts. She loved seeing plays and musicals at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Morrison Center, where she and Gary were season ticket holders. Linda and Gary also traveled extensively during retirement, enjoying dozens of trips to many destinations. Linda’s favorites included New Orleans, Cabo San Lucas, California Wine Country, and Greece, in addition to their yearly Hawaii visits. They also made many friends across the country during travels in their motorhome; Linda kept her wallet well stocked with “happily retired” business cards, which she was delighted to pass out to new friends along the way. Her beloved cats, Sammy and Simba, accompanied them on each trip, and Linda was proud of the fact she always shared half the driving (no small feat, since they also towed their Grand Cherokee). They “circled” the USA twice.
Linda loved her years in Idaho. She was thrilled to live close to Ashley, her son-in-law Justin, and her three grandchildren: Madison (3) and identical twins Theo and Sutton (5 months). The family relied on Linda’s steadfast support through many difficulties: Madison’s juvenile Type 1 diabetes diagnosis in May 2022, Ashley’s challenging pregnancy with the twins, including a life-threatening complication called Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, and the boys’ premature birth at 29 weeks in July 2022. Throughout it all, Ashley and the kids proved to be just as strong and determined as their “Tutu.” Linda doted on her grandchildren and dropped everything if they needed a babysitter who could handle twin babies, carbohydrate calculations, and insulin injections.
Because of Linda’s gregarious nature and love of life, she had many friends and always made it a priority to care for and treasure her family. For her, home was never one place, but many – including Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and Idaho – because of the numerous people she loved in each location. In 2015, as she reflected on the 20 year anniversary of Howard’s death, Linda wrote, “I am sure he is pleased that Ashley and I have had such wonderful friends and family to help us through these years, and particularly to find our new home in Idaho with the Paterson and Fullmer families.”
Linda is predeceased by her parents, Harold and Darlene Zimmer, and her first husband, Howard M. Machado. She is survived by her husband, Gary Paterson; daughter Ashley Machado Fullmer and son-in-law Justin; grandchildren Madison, Theo and Sutton Fullmer; her brother, Kerry (Dorinda), and sister Lori. She is also survived by stepdaughter Shannon Paterson Reagan (Michael); stepson Tyler Paterson (Johanna); stepdaughter Calista Paterson and step-grandchildren Kellan Reagan, Ella Reagan, Kailer Paterson, Riley Paterson, Zoey Paterson, and Soren Paterson.
Linda’s ‘ohana will remember her with much aloha and love in our hearts. Me Ke Aloha A Mau Loa. With love, always.
Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Bowman Funeral Parlor, 10254 W. Carlton Bay Drive, Garden City, ID, 83714. A reception will immediately follow at the Two Rivers Clubhouse, 261 W. Island Woods Drive, Eagle. Celebrations of Linda’s life will be determined at a later date and held in Eagle, ID, McCall, ID and Camp Hill, PA.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Linda’s memory to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation .
To watch the recorded service please visit https://vimeo.com/793701286
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