Linda Smith Caswell

LINDA SMITH CASWELL

LITTLETON, NH -- Linda Smith Caswell of Littleton died January 18 after a long illness resulting from cancer. She lived surrounded by loving family and friends in the North Country of New Hampshire, raising two boys to whom she was deeply devoted, and giving back to her community as an active member of her church, a volunteer, and a philanthropist.

Linda was born in the historic month of December, 1941, in Hudson, New York, the oldest of Ken and Marion Smith's three children. After graduating from Hudson High School, Linda received a Bachelor's degree from Elmira College. In 1964, she married H. Taylor Caswell Jr. of Philadelphia, and after living in
Pennsylvania, where she worked as an elementary school teacher, they moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire where Dr. Caswell served in the U.S. Navy. In 1974, they settled in Littleton where they remained, raised their two boys, and developed innumerable deep friendships that continue to this day.

Linda is survived by her sons Taylor of Hollis, New Hampshire, his wife Susan Ide, and Ken of North Falmouth, Massachusetts, his wife Erin Moynihan, her grandchildren Ellie, Joe, McKayla, and Colleen, and her brothers Ken of Seattle and Tim of Claverack, New York. Her husband Taylor died in 2001 after
treating patients for more than 27 years at Littleton Regional Hospital.

Linda was proud of her two young boys, despite a near-constant test of her maternal abilities and instincts. For example, in the summer of 1985, Linda mistakenly agreed to join her teenage boys and exuberant husband for a week-long vacation at a Montana dude ranch. It was here, after several days of
rustling cattle and gallops across the golden plain, she earned the nickname "Lopin' Linda" for her (lack of) riding expertise. By the third day it was announced that she would "use her own two feet" to get around and that reading in the cabin "was just as much fun" as day-long rides into the Crazy Mountains.

Through it all she was a mother who cared how her boys understood their surroundings, how they presented themselves to others, and infused in them the passion to help others and make their community a better place.

Her sons recall how each night after dinner together as cleanup began, the chaos would inevitably reach a point at which she could take no more of the loud boys and their father. At this point, she would gently ease toward the light switch, and as she flicked it off, declare loudly: "this is it!" On Monday
night, after three long years of struggle and a different kind of chaos, Linda declared that one last time.

SERVICES -- A service will be held at 10am on Monday, February 1 at the First United Methodist Church in Littleton.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in support of cancer research and brain repair. Donations can be made to the Mass General Hospital Brain Cancer Research Fund: The MGH Development Office, Attn: Sarah Church, Brain Cancer Research Fund for Dr. Jorg Dietrich, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540,
Boston, MA 02114-1101.