Tribute

Linda Marie (Walker) Musto

Born June 25, 1943 in Vancouver to parents Thomas and Ethel Walker.

Linda was the eldest of three sisters, Beverly and Joan.  The childhood home was  in Sechelt, B.C.

During Linda’s teens, she moved to Miracle Beach to be close to her favourite Aunt Doris.  Linda’s favourite cousin, Don Rainbow, who lost his leg on a fishing boat accident, spent unforgettable time together in Miracle Beach and subsequently had a very close relationship.

Linda spent time in Vancouver as a young adult and married her first husband Bob and raised her only son, Allan.  Her first career was 8 years with the B.C. Liquor Control Board. Her second career took her to Westworld  Magazine as editor and chief.  After 10 years of world travel with the magazine, she retired and started to pursue many artistic passions.

She opened a Bed & Breakfast in 1991 called “Airport B & B” in Richmond and started a small garden business called Bloomin’ Balconies.  She was also providing daycare for her first grandchild Gordon as well.  She followed her son to Vancouver Island to be closer to her grandchildren Gordon and Andrew as well as her sister Bev and her nieces Karen and Terry.

On arriving in Crofton she was soon involved in the community by working as volunteer for the tourist board, catering for the seniors and joining the Crofton art and craft group where once again her organizing skills came to the forefront. As Linda is a bulldog with ideas, it is illustrated and remembered every time you take a walk along the Crofton  sea walk. In 2004 she got together with four others and between them the project was started and yes Linda was present most days overseeing operations. Today that legacy is not only remembered but enjoyed by hundreds every year.

Linda met Bernie in 2004 in San Lucia while on holiday. Linda always said Bernie was like a hovering spider hanging in the doorway. Bernie has another story. Following a whirlwind dating involving thousands of miles, Linda moved to England for a year to help Bernie sell up and move across the pond. In England she proved to be another outstanding success with everyone she met. Flying around the U/K with the mad professor where she played many roles. Baggage handler, press agent, secretary, massage model, assistant coach ambassador for Bernie and his business pal Rob Bob. Her curiosity and ability to learn quickly enabled her  qualification in level one sports massage and Indian head massage. Linda soon became very popular and was loved and her company was always sought after among Bernie’s wacky mates. I think her best times were sitting in the private boxes at the Royal Albert Hall dining on Caviar and champagne while Bernie was working on various artists where  she breezed in on all the after show parties with glass in hand.

It was while in England she decided to join the Catholic faith and underwent a 7 month journey and was baptized, received her first communion and confirmation. It was a magnificent site seeing her walk through the font, mount the staircase and holding a candle in the dark with tears of emotion. She was such a hit during her journey that she had a private audience with the Bishop who wrote special message in her bible which became her pride and joy.

After her mission was complete in England they both returned to Canada and lived in Crofton in June 2006. She joined St Edwards parish the same year and after meeting Fr. Frank became heavily involved in different roles with-in the community. Linda married Bernie early the following year at St Anns. They both picked up their  thirst for travel and for many years they lived on ship or plane going somewhere. Her organizing skills lead her further into community life. Taking on  many C.W.L. posts , raising funds for battered women, the parish, instigating paster dinners and the list goes on. The role she most enjoyed was taking up Fr. Alfredo’s invitation to help him with new converts joining the faith. Once again her people skills shone through. 2012 saw a massive set back when Linda entered the Royal Jubilee for open heart surgery which took a large toll on her health but in true Linda style a way was found to bounce back and she was soon back on track.

Linda once told me her proudest moment was when she stood with her son Allan in some of the capitals of Europe plus traveling with him and Jan to Japan and China. Health problems seemed to haunt her more and more each year and 2019 brought home to us all that things were starting to decline but again and again she would bounce back, confounding everyone. However 2020 proved to be the watershed , being in hospital more than being at home. In 2021 Linda decided on one last shot at life and signed up for Home dialysis but alas she suffered another setback with her heart which lead to being taken off the program. Two weeks later she left us to begin the joy of everlasting life without pain and where only everlasting love will cradle her

WORDS OF LOVE:

Sister Bev:  “She was my sister, my mother, my friend and my saviour”.

Bernie: Those hot steamy nights in the Caribbean lite the flame between us that will never be extinguished. Wild nights and parties, crazy ideas and projects, amazing presence and wisdom, ability to touch peoples heart and make a lasting difference to them, outstanding love and tolerance with me , through out our exciting 16 years.We rode the cosmos many a time and now your looking down on it. please wait for me my love it won’t be long before we can discover and share another love story,  together again. Please pray  for me, to  give me the strength and direction i now desperately need. Oh, put in a good word for me.

Allan: Mom,

I will miss your outlook at how the glass was never ½ full, according to you it was always full. Funny my whiskey glass was always empty when you sat beside me.

I will miss how, the food always had to be fresh when you asked the server. Despite us all rolling our eyes and groaning you would ask again.

I will miss how you pronounced ASIAGO. I just smiled and never corrected it.

I will miss your revelations and which project I should take on next. Even if I didn’t always agree, you would have the next project for me.

I will miss our conversations, your views, your ideas, your leadership and your love, it is a part of who I am today.

I will miss your inspiration to always be a good person.

Mostly I will miss you, love always, Allan, your little Marshy.

 Jan: Words of love:  Linda, I am so grateful to have had you in my life for 35 years.  You were my friend, my advisor, my teacher, my inspiration. I am thankful for the love and care you gave the boys throughout their lives.   I appreciate the laughter we all shared at family dinners with you at the head of the table passing the wine.  I always marvelled at your amazing artistic talents, never wavering on your next new project(drum making, Japanese silk painting, fairy gardens, to name only a few). Travelling through Europe and Asia with you and Bernie was an amazing experience and I will never forget the good times we had. You were my coach for the birth of Andrew. We shared so much together. I can only hope to emulate your legacy of love by living life large, loving unconditionally and showing generosity and compassion to others. A mom’s hug lasts long after she lets go. You are forever loved and held dear to my heart.

Gordon: The roll that Amah played in my upbringing couldn’t be matched by any other soul . The unparalleled love and support she showed me as I grew is something that I will hold dearly and strongly cherish as long as I live.  Even when I constantly tested her patience, it knew no bounds.  My antics, no matter the severity, were always met with unconditional love and compassion.  She knew me better than I knew myself and always had a way of humbling me and helping me see through clearer eyes. I know that I do not stand alone with my feelings for her because she had the ability to personally connect with everyone who had the privilege of interacting with her.  I can’t imagine there will come a day where I will not miss her with all of my heart.  We will never be able to replace her radiant presence but I believe her beautiful soul will echo throughout her family and friends for the remainder of our days. 

Andrew:  One of the kindest, loving and caring women I have even known. Amah, my grandmother. 

I will always remember and cherish my childhood with Amah. She always went above and beyond for me and my brother. Weather it was Halloween costumes, crafts for holiday occasions, birthdays or even helping us with school projects, Amah wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfection. We were truly lucky to have her in our lives. 

Some of my favourite memories with Amah were Saturday night specials(even though me and Gord would scream and fight it), summer camping trips at Rathtrevor, The Simpsons on Sunday nights, boating trips and carving ooga boogas on the beach. These are moments in my life I will never forget.

If there was a competition for the best grandmother in the world Amah would have made sure she won. 

It’s hard to put into words the impact this amazing woman had on my life, and I’m sure the lives of many others. She had an endless amount of love to give and you felt it every time she was around.

Amah, Linda, wife, mother, friend, auntie…..whoever my grandmother was to you I’m positive that she made you feel the same. 

I know Amah will be watching over all of us(and especially making sure what dad is cooking is “FRESH”)

She will be loved and missed by many.

But never forgotten.

I love you Amah

Tiffany:  Amah, to say you will be missed is an understatement.  You were one of the most generous, strong, caring and thoughtful women

I have ever met and I can only hope to raise our girls to follow in your footsteps.  From the day I met you, you made me feel welcome,

Loved and like I was one of your own.  Thanks for helping to raise my husband into the man he is today.  For that I cannot thank you

Enough.  There will be a very large part of us missing without you.  I will miss your laughter, stories, your family speeches and the way

you light up when you see the girls.  I will forever hold you in my heart and cherish the time we had with you and I promise to always take

care of “Toques” for you.  We love you Amah.

Tiffany, Savannah and Audrey

Francoise: One summer day some years ago when Linda was in England, we went for a walk together in a beautiful park called  Southwield. We got lost.

It occurs to me now that Linda found her way and never lost sight of it.

Francoise xx

Lorenda: Don (Linda’s fave cousin) and I spent winters in Kauai for a few years. Linda and Bernie joined us in December 2011. Linda came a week ahead of Bernie; we were staying in the same resort so spent a lot of time together enjoying the warm weather.  Linda and I both loved the tropical flowers, and our Xmas tree that year was a very large red poinsettia. They make hedges of them there, and they grow wild – but we did buy ours at the store!!!

MaryAnn: I would like to say that Linda was always helpful and very artistic and thought the world of her family

I will miss her

Sherridan:  It was an honour that Danny and I became great friends of Linda and Bernie’s.  Linda walked this earth with much grace and dignity.  One special quality I loved about Linda was how important people felt when she was in conversation with them (didn’t matter if you were a child or an adult) – at that moment they felt that no other person in the world existed. 

 Linda enjoyed life and was always ready to try something new.  Even though the last part of her journey involved much pain and anxiety her faith held strong.  I will miss my friend greatly.

Pat: “Lots of wine”

Fran:  A life well lived is a precious gift of hope and strength and grace… this is my Linda. 

You were always so generous with your time.  You gave so much to our CWL and worked so hard to get everything perfect because you were there with your heart and your drive to create the best.   Your creativity always shone.  I admired your willingness to keep learning and exploring as in your beautiful silk creations, and we had so much fun creating garden totems in my garage.

But the real treasure of you was your ability to show pleasure for a visit even when you were tired.  I feel like I just met you and now you’re gone my Friend, but I will always be grateful for you.

Sincerest condolences to those who loved you for the clever, adventurous, exploring, thinking, and gentle soul that we will miss.

Sr .Dawn:   I first met Linda at the old pool in Duncan in about 2007 when we attended the water aerobics especially for those over 50.  As I think she must have been all her life, she was outgoing, interested, warm and friendly. It was after I had a knee replacement and experienced problems with the recovery that we really got to know one another better.  She said, “I have a husband who might be able to help you if you would be interested”.  And that really began conversations that were deeper and of more importance than just casual pool chat.  This grew over the years, and there was a real mutuality I know we both treasured.  I will always be grateful to this lovely friend who had/has a heart as great as the universe, and I know she is now experiencing the fruit of that love for so many people as she lives forever in God and among us in a new way.  Thank you, Linda, for who you were and are in our lives.

Much Love,   Sr. Dawn Kling

Paula:  The friends you find later in life are special gifts “ 

Linda is  one of those gifts I hold dear 

Soft spoken Linda …I will miss your welcoming smile, your kindness , your compassion and our “ Joyful “ conversations in book club . 

Thank you for being my friend 

Leanne:    Linda came into my life a decade ago… bringing her huge smile and love, and her challenge to me to think before I speak and to include everyone is my decision making.  This was truly a challenge for me…. Neither patience nor fully open-hearted listening come easily to me. Linda was a huge ’gif’t to me, in rubbing off some of my rough spots.  I will forever be grateful, and always treasure the memory of her smile and her hugs