Linda Hersom

Linda Suzanne (Tewes) Hersom, 68, died at home Sunday after a brief illness, surrounded by her loving family.
A visitation will be held 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm Tuesday, November 21, 2017, at Christy-Smith Funeral Home, Morningside Chapel, with the family present from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and a parish vigil at 7:00 pm. A funeral mass will be held 11:00 am Wednesday, November 22, 2017, at Immaculate Conception Church with burial to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Born Aug. 11, 1949, in Spencer, Iowa, she was a 1967 graduate of Clay Central High School in Royal and a 1972 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa.
A devoted wife and mother, she spent much of her adult life as an elementary school teacher at several Sioux City schools (St. Boniface, St. Joseph’s, Emerson and Joy), retiring in 2013 after many years at Joy School in Morningside.
She and her husband of 47 years, Terry Hersom, met on May 2, 1969 in the student union at UNI and were married just over 13 months later, exchanging vows June 6, 1970, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Royal.
The eldest of five sisters and five brothers in the farm family of Ruth and Delmar Tewes, she was imbued with the remarkable work ethic of her father and carried that quality throughout a life cut short by an aggressive form of cancer that went undiagnosed until late August.
Nothing was more important to Linda than her family, but she also had a deep love for her students and was gratified at the appreciation so many of them have shown her years after leaving her classrooms.
Her remarkable gift for balancing family and her work was complemented by her patient and inspiring support for Terry’s work as sports editor of The Sioux City Journal for 38 years.
Linda is survived by Terry and their two sons, Jason (Stephanie) Hersom of Dakota Dunes and Jim (Chrissy) Hersom of Bennington, Neb. She also leaves behind five grandchildren (Jessica, Nathan, Rachel, Andrew and Carter), who became the center of her universe. With a sixth grandchild due to be born in January, it was her deepest disappointment to learn she would not live long enough to hold another of the babies that will all carry on many of her extraordinary qualities.
Still other survivors include her mother, Ruth Tewes, of Spencer, along with brothers Mark, Tom, John, Matt and Patrick, sisters Jan, Paula and Michelle, and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father, Delmar Tewes; a sister, Mary Schuknecht; nephews Patrick Barnes and Tyler Tewes, and a great-nephew, Noah Kiley.
The family asks that gifts in her name be directed to Hospice of Siouxland, who helped make her passing as comfortable as possible.