Linda Lee Spaide Foti, 77, of Berlin, VT, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 20th at Mayo Healthcare in Northfield VT.

Born in Amsterdam, NY to Grant & Helen Spaide, Linda was a bright student and a friendly, energetic young woman. She attended Vermont College and later settled in Montpelier where she lived for over 50 years, raising a family and serving as an encouraging, loyal listener to a broad base of friends of all ages. Her kindness was exceeded only by her patience.

Linda was ever an eager den mom, chaperone, and hostess of spontaneous gatherings of her own friends as well as her children's, both at home in Montpelier as well as at Lake Groton over the summers. She cheered from the sidelines of countless muddy football and field hockey fields and frigid ice hockey rinks across the state along with many dusty and sometimes sweltering horse shows rings and arenas across the country.

Graduating from her career as a full-time mom-to-many, she later worked at the First Impressions boutique in Montpelier before joining the Community College of Vermont, eventually becoming the executive assistant to the Dean. Colleagues noted that she never truly stopped mothering, even at work.

In retirement, Linda loved to read and challenge friends to word puzzles and card games. Friends and family both knew not to get between her and a TV from 7 to 7:30pm during Jeopardy. Only her absolute devotion to her grandchildren could do that.

Traveling near and far in the fall and winter to spend holidays with family, her spring and summer vacations revolved around friends and, most often, seas and oceans. She loved the beaches of Maine and Aruba, spending most of her time in the water. When she wasn’t traveling, she could still often be found in the water year-round at her aqua aerobics class.

Linda was a loving, devoted, and caring daughter, sister, cousin, mother, aunt, grandmother, and friend. She is survived by her brother, Robert Spaide, her cousin, Mary Ellen McGlone, and her children Ginna Virginillo and Christopher Foti together with his wife Nancy, and her four grandsons: Grant Foti, Connor Foti, Dominic Virginillo, and Christopher “CJ” Virginillo.

Her family thank the staff at Mayo Healthcare for a truly exceptional level of care for both her and them. Linda asked that any memorial contributions be made to St. Jude’s Hospital, but those who will most dearly miss her would ask everyone to bring a little more kindness, patience, and selflessness to the world to make up for her loss.

A celebration of Linda’s life will be held at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier from 9am to 11am on Saturday, May 16th. Friends and family are welcome.