Linda L Freund-Ebbinga

Mrs. Linda L. Freund-Ebbinga, age 83, of Griswold, IA, passed away on Friday, May 29, 2026, at her home surrounded by family.

Linda Louise Blum, daughter of Edgar and Helen Doan Blum, was born on March 9, 1943 in Harlan, Iowa, and was raised on a farm with her four siblings in rural Earling, Iowa. She graduated from St. Joseph Catholic High School in Earling in 1961. She went on to nursing school at Mercy College in Council Bluffs, taking classes at Creighton University as part of the program. After a year and half, Linda transferred to the College of St. Mary for novitiate training with the Sisters of Mercy for two and half years. After discerning that a religious order was not her vocation, she returned to nursing and graduated from Archbishop Bergan Mercy in November 1967 as a Registered Nurse and worked as a home health nurse in Omaha. Linda stayed in touch with her original nursing class of 1964 and was included in their class reunions over the years.

Linda met Charles (Chuck) Freund in 1967 and they married on November 23, 1968 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Earling. She fondly recounted that she knew she would marry Chuck after their first date, when he tipped his hat and said, “Good night, Little Lady.” After they married, they lived near Lewis, Iowa where Chuck farmed and Linda worked at the Atlantic Hospital until their first child arrived in 1970. Linda often recanted a conversation with Dr. Keith Swanson where she wondered how she could love more children. The good doc told her, “that her love is not divided; it’s multiplied.” She lived by multiplying her love of family and to so many others whose paths crossed hers.

Their marriage was blessed with eight children: David, Clinton, Ann, Tamara, Thomas, Mary, Christopher and Stephen. After 13 years of marriage, Chuck passed away. Linda, strengthened by the Holy Spirit and surrounded by loving family and friends, raised their eight children as a single parent. In the home, she established a strong foundation in the Catholic faith, encouraged the exploration of childhood interests including agriculture, sports, 4-H, horses and aviation, and she led by example the pursuit of higher education by her own continued education. Linda raised the family on the home farm near Lewis until 1989, when she moved to an acreage east of Griswold with a larger house to accommodate her growing children.

With her hands full at home, she still found time to be involved in her church parish, the kids’ schools and her community as a volunteer and leader. She was honored as the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church’s Valiant Lady in 1996, recognizing her time involved with religious education and service on the parish council. She was also an active member at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Griswold, where she had cherished friendships. She also treasured time with her neighborhood friends in a bible study group.

When the kids were older, she returned to nursing as a home health care nurse and a school nurse, thoroughly enjoying caring for others, and serving on the Nurses Honor Guard in the Cass Health chapter.

After 21 years as a widow, Linda met William (Bill) Ebbinga of Elkton, SD who had five children and was also widowed. Bill recalls that he knew he would marry her when they first met. Linda referred to Bill as her “Second Prince.” They were married on November 29, 2003. They settled in South Dakota where she worked as a clinic nurse until Bill retired as chief pilot from South Dakota State University. They returned to the Freund residence near Griswold in 2007, where Bill farmed and continued working on planes with Linda at his side, even helping rivet.

Linda and Bill enjoyed traveling, and together they went to the west coast to visit family, took a train trip from Minneapolis to Seattle, a two-week trip to the Netherlands, and countless other trips in their own Cessna to fly-in breakfasts and visits to grandchildren in South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Even when not traveling, Linda didn’t sit still. She continually had something she was sewing, fixing or patching for others, and in the last couple of decades her crochet needles were constantly in motion lovingly creating blankets for her grandchildren. She enjoyed gardening and each summer, she and Bill canned dozens of quarts of their special-recipe tomato sauce, green beans, carrots, beets, pickles and even homegrown strawberry-rhubarb and grape jams that she gifted to anyone lucky enough to stop by the farm. She became locally famous for her chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, banana bread, apple pies and baked cheesecakes that were given away as fast as she could make them.

Linda lived her life in service and sacrifice, led by her unwavering faith and love for her neighbor through works of mercy. She had a gift for making everyone, including the stranger, feel His love through her. She prayed without ceasing via her work and nightly she and Bill said the rosary and prayed by name for each of their 13 children and their spouses, their 34 grandchildren, and 7 great-grand children, plus dozens of other friends and family that needed prayers. Through every challenge, she trusted God and in every blessing, she thanked Him.

Linda is preceded in death by her husband Charles Freund, parents Edgar Blum and Helen (Doan) Blum; father-in-law Anthony Freund and mother-in-law Helen (Zimmer) Freund; brother Keith Blum; son John Ebbinga.

She is survived by her husband Bill Ebbinga, and their remaining twelve children: Dale (Jenny) Ebbinga of Madison, SD, Dean (Brenda) Ebbinga of Hartford, SD, David Freund of Atlantic, Patty Bulick of Sioux Falls, SD, Clinton (Laura) Freund of Atlantic, Ann (Jason) Zaiger of Audubon, Tamara (Jeremy) Kass of Hudson, WI, Michael (Kristine) Ebbinga of Aurora, SD, Thomas Freund of College Station, TX, Mary (Darby) McLaren of Atlantic, Christopher (Erin) Freund of Atlantic, and Stephen (Tracy) Freund of Adel.
Thirty-four grandchildren: Jacob, Karissa, Jordan, and Karly Campbell; Julia, Kiara and Lucas Ebbinga; Victoria (Jeremy) Jenkins, Jake and Karsten Freund; Christopher (Kristina) Bulick, Kaitlyn (Zach) Allen, Kylee (Randy) Roberts, Caden, Kayla, and Kenzie Bulick; Nathan (Emma) Moen and Tyler (Addison) Moen, Addison Freund; Elijah (Jayde) Zaiger, Joseph (Claire) Zaiger, Elizabeth Zaiger (betrothed Ethan Leinen) and Abigail (Jameson) Bieker; James, William, and Audrey Kass; Riggs Ebbinga; Hudson, Peyton and Madison McLaren; Henry and Cora Freund; Hadley and Ryland Freund.

Seven great grandchildren: Micah and Kiyah Bulick; Zaiyden and Bodie Allen; Hudson Roberts, John Moen and Olivia Zaiger.

Other family surviving include: her sister Marilyn Munchrath, her brother Kenneth (Connie) Blum, and her sister Dr. Cynthia Schneider, many nieces and nephews, and other relatives.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 5, 2026, at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Atlantic, IA, with Fr Brad Robey as the Celebrant. Interment will take place at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery following the Mass. A reception will be held in the Church Parish Hall following the committal.

Public visitation with the family will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Atlantic, IA.

A nurses' honor guard service will be held at the Church starting at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

A rosary will be prayed at the Church at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Memorials may be directed to the Linda Freund-Ebbinga Family to be designated at a later date in her memory. They may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 523, Atlantic, IA 50022.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Atlantic.