Linda Sue (Gossman) Kemmerer, 63 of Clear Lake, died Thursday, February 10, 2022, at her home surrounded by family and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 4:00-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 15, 2022, at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 310 1st Ave. N., Clear Lake.
A graveside inurnment will be held at Graceland Cemetery in Buffalo Center at approximately 12:30 p.m., following Mark’s inurnment.
In lieu of customary remembrances, Linda’s family suggests memorial contributions to the Cerro Gordo Humane Society.
Linda Sue (Gossman) Kemmerer was born June 24, 1958 in Britt, IA to Duane K. Gossman Sr. and Lila Marie Arndt. The fourth of five children, she spent her entire childhood on the family farm SW of Thompson where they raised all variety of farm animals. She loved being around animals and enjoyed riding the ponies King and Pal. She attended 13 years and graduated from Thompson Community School in 1976. She was a well-respected guard on the school’s Girls Basketball team, in addition to being crowned Homecoming Queen. Linda was a lifeguard at the Thompson swimming pool during the summers. Following graduation, Linda went to work at Winnebago Industries in the secretarial pool where she was also responsible for giving group tours of Winnebago to visitors of the facility. Winnebago became her lifetime career. She was married to Paul Tegland in 1980 and they lived in Forest City and later they divorced.
Raised to believe in hard work and the appreciation of the value of a dollar, Linda was able to purchase a home in Clear Lake on her own. It was in Clear Lake where she met Mark Kemmerer and they were married October 19, 1990. She helped Mark in his boating businesses as well as many of the events that he sponsored in the Clear Lake area. She kept meticulous books and accounting for these races. Linda also enjoyed volunteer work and helped out at the Humane Society, treasurer of the VFW Woman’s Auxiliary, worked at fundraising for Free the Boobies, and would sponsor riders for RAGBRI having as many as 80 people at her home and cooking for them. She had a soft heart, a generous demeanor, proudly took care of her mother in her later years, and taking in several nephews and a sibling to help in their lives. Linda was very empathetic to other people and animals alike. She loved Sheltie’s, and also took in animals in foster care which often resulted in a forever home.
Linda completed her career at Winnebago as Dispatch Coordinator for the outgoing RV’s deliveries and took over many other additional duties vacated by others making her a favorite person for RV drivers, dealerships, truckers, management, and her best boss Dale. This afforded her the opportunity to travel on the side to all parts of the country while delivering motor homes, often with her father.
She loved to travel the USA and abroad, spending time with family and friends and was frequently on trips to Florida, New York, the Mississippi, Wisconsin, Washington, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Linda enjoyed traveling anywhere her friends wanted a companion. She was a best friend to many and loved by all.
Linda was a whiz with accounting and numbers as well as personal finance, as her work ethic complimented Mark’s as well. They enjoyed living on their acreage on the south side of Clear Lake and were looking forward to a comfortable retirement, which she unfortunately did not get the opportunity to enjoy. The onset of her cancer diagnosis came just as she and Mark were cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for 26 friends and relatives.
She leaves to mourn her loss, two sisters and a brother and many friends and relatives. She was preceded in death by her husband Mark, her parents, her oldest brother Duane Jr. (Bud), nephew Jarrett, and her best high school friend, Gayle Norstrud.
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