Obituary of Linda Lee Tollefson

Linda Lee (Legakes) Tollefson, age 71, of Parker, Colorado passed away in a hospice care facility with her family by her side on February 10, 2022 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Linda was born in L.A. County on March 31,1950 and quickly adopted by Leon and Verda Legakes. She was raised an only child, but she was blessed to find and connect with her biological siblings as an adult and develop close relationships with them. She grew up in Alhambra, California where her father, aunts and uncles owned a candy and ice cream store called Temptation Sweets. It was there that her lifelong love of ice cream began. Linda graduated from Alhambra High School in 1968 and went on to complete her associates degree in Secretarial Sciences at Pasadena City College. She loved to share stories about her time after college in a singing group that toured the country with the 2nd Chapter of Acts. Linda was an accomplished secretary and spent a number of years working for the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

One evening in 1978 Linda met Paul at a church home group. After a fun night wandering the Newport Beach boardwalk together the two were smitten and the rest was history. They were married on March 10, 1979. Together they had 3 children, Jeremy, Tami and Kristi. After becoming a mom, Linda stayed at home to care for their kids. 

Linda loved to dance and was guaranteed to be the first and last person on the dance floor at any event. She was a huge Beatles fan and very proud of the fact that Paul McCartney once said hello to her from a distance. Her biggest passion was the weather. She excitedly followed the radar, recorded rain totals, and daily announced the forecasted high and low temperatures to her family. She could sit and watch a severe storm for hours in wonder. Linda even spent a period of time reporting Parker, Colorado’s weather measurements to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Linda would often use idioms when talking with friends or telling stories but she could rarely say them correctly. The result was a vast array of her own unique catch phrases that her family and friends adored including “madder than a wet hornet,” and they’ve “lost their noodles.”

The most important thing to Linda was her faith in Jesus. Linda came to faith in Christ at the age of 21 and from that point on she would share the hope she found in Jesus with anyone who stopped long enough to listen. Relationships were very important to her and she reflected the love of Jesus in her care for others and desire to walk closely with them and comfort them through all of life’s highs and lows. Her family and friends find so much comfort and hope in knowing that she is enjoying eternity with her Creator. 

Linda is survived by her son Jeremy, daughters Tami (Jeff) and Kristi (Kirt), and granddaughters Hadley and Haven, her sister Gail (Danny), brother John (Krista) and several beloved nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her wonderful husband of 42 years, Paul Tollefson, who passed just 2 days before her, her parents Leon and Verda Legakes, and her sisters Betty and Julie.

A celebration of life service for both Linda and Paul is planned for Monday, February 21st at 2pm at Crossroads Community Church in Parker, CO.