Linda Colcord RIP Jan. 19, 1945-Sept 26, 2022

Hello everyone,

We are deeply saddened to say that Linda went to sing with the angels very early on Monday, September 26th. These past months were so challenging for Linda and she really was so brave and took the situation in stride. Linda was blessed with many things, including a deep love for life, but for better or for worse, money was not one of the blessings she received. Obviously, her financial needs are different than what this page was originally intended for; however, despite her financial situation, we committed to honoring her life with beauty and dignity. We would be grateful if you would choose to participate in honoring Linda by contributing to this cause and her final resting place.

It feels awkward to explain the situation so explicitly, but we want everything to be as transparent as possible. The funds raised through this page, or donated directly, will be used to cover a few minor outstanding bills (which do not include a mortgage or any major medical costs) and the funeral, cremation and burial fees. Any remaining funds at the end will be donated to the First Congregational Church Choir. Funds from this account will be transferred directly into Linda's bank account and Cheryl Marshall, who is the financial POA and joint holder on the account, will pay the bills. Financial records will be available if there are questions. Please understand that Linda does not have direct family who is present to take care of this situation. We also realize that some may feel dubious about donating online and we understand that it may appear that the Marshall family is "benefitting," but all we can say is that we are not. We sincerely hope that you will feel inclined to assist with these final expenses for Linda and be a part of this stage of her life, even though she has physically moved on to another place. If you have any questions, you can email Cheryl directly at cherylvw22 at gmail.com.

We are leaving the original story below that Zoë started a few months ago so that you can read the history of how this page and situation came about. If you would like, you can also click on Linda's formal obituary here: https://www.davenportfamily.com/obituary/Linda-Colcord

With gratitude,

Steve, Cheryl, Zoë and Fiona Marshall

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Hi, my name is Zoë, and my family and I are raising funds to help our dear friend Linda who is 77. Linda was sadly diagnosed in July with stage 4 Adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer. For the past 6+ months, she has been struggling with lung problems and has had difficulty breathing. She went to the hospital in June for a simple lung biopsy which became complicated after she couldn't breathe on her own. She spent several days on a respirator and two weeks in the ICU. This second hospital stay was extremely traumatic and it has been challenging for her mental health. She is currently in rehab recovering to get strong enough to start the cancer treatment.

In the meantime, due to these ongoing health issues, Linda has not been able to work to supplement her Social Security, and is on an indefinite medical leave of absence. Due to other life events, she does not have any other source of income other than Social Security which is barely enough to cover basic costs. Over the past months, she has accumulated numerous medical bills for multiple visits to the pulmonologist and other doctors, a previous hospital stay in the Spring followed by rehab and several procedures to determine what was causing her breathing problems. Even though she has Medicare which does cover 80% of the costs, she didn't have supplemental insurance until the beginning of July, so she was still responsible for the other 20%. In the meantime, we did find a way to sign her up for supplemental insurance to cover the remaining 20% of medical costs moving forward but she will have to pay $200/month for this coverage.

She is also still paying a mortgage on her home, and right before this most recent hospital stay, she had to pay about $3,000 to have her bathtub converted to a shower since she was no longer able to step over the side of the bathtub. All these bills, combined with her recent diagnosis and her inability to work, is so overwhelming for her. Therefore, we are hoping with your support to raise enough money to pay off her outstanding medical bills and the cost of the shower installation and if possible, cover her mortgage payments and supplemental Medicare insurance for the next 6 months. Anything you are able to contribute will be so greatly appreciated.

As a side note, I did start this GoFundMe at the end of June but we were not able to truly launch it since we got very busy with Linda's care and were not sure of what was going to happen and what her needs would be. As of Friday August 5th, 2022, we are officially launching this campaign. We appreciate anything you can do to help out Linda during this difficult time.

A little about Linda-

Linda is a very caring person with a huge heart. She loves all animals and absolutely adores cats and even chooses to adopt ones that are elderly since they typically don't get adopted as frequently.

She loves crafting! She loves to knit and does needlework. She loves to see any type of art and loves to hear and see about anything art or fashion related.

She loves learning new things! Linda prides herself on being hip and with it and I couldn't agree more!

Linda is a passionate supporter of the English soccer/football team Tottenham Hotspur, and she even met Harry Kane before he made it big and has his autograph. Some of her memorable moments have been spent with the official Chicago Tottenham Supporters Club at the Atlantic and the official Crystal Lake Spurs Club.

Linda also loves to read, cook, and be out in nature and explore the world around her. Linda has a strong faith and also adores singing in her church. I know that was one of the things that really upset her about her lungs being problematic.

Linda also is incredibly accepting of others and never judges anyone based on who they are, where they come from, or what they look like. She accepts all walks of life and she is brave, understanding, and just an incredibly beautiful person inside and out. I have never met another person as sensational and awe-inspiring as Linda.

Thank you for reading all of this and I hope you will be able to help out.

Zoë