Linda Lee Walsh

Linda Lee Walsh, age 85, passed away on March 6, 2026, at her home in Petaluma, California. Born on June 6, 1940, in San Francisco to Lou and Mary Killian, she spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Mojave, California. She attended boarding schools in Switzerland and Santa Barbara before earning a Bachelor’s degree in French from Pomona College in 1961 and completing graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1966, Linda married Jay Walsh and together they raised two children, Mary Lisa and John, in San Francisco. She taught high-school French, English, and History, first in Laguna Beach and later in the Bay Area, passing on her deep love of language to both of her children, who became writers. A lifelong passion for Arabian horses, first kindled during her childhood in Saudi Arabia, remained with her always. She raised the horses with her parents in San Luis Obispo County and later in Sonoma County, eventually converting an old dairy in Petaluma into a horse property. Linda had a gift for renovation and lovingly transformed two homes in San Francisco and an old farmhouse in Petaluma into warm, gracious residences.

She and Jay shared a lifelong love of travel, exploring Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Canada, and Great Britain with their children, and returning often to France, where they spent many happy days in Paris and the Loire Valley. Linda was a loyal and generous friend who welcomed people of all ages into her life with genuine warmth and was always ready to offer help and companionship. She held her family, her friends, and her horses close to her heart.

Linda is survived by her husband Jay, her children Mary Lisa and John, her daughter-in-law Marilyn, and her grandchildren Jack and Charlie Walsh. An only child, she remained close to her maternal cousins Cathy Bennigson, Rusty Franklin, Vicky Cleveland, and Valerie Wilson, and is survived by Cathy and Rusty.