Linda (Irwin) Escobar ’72 passed away peacefully in her Roseville, California, home on May 18, 2017. She was born Feb. 10, 1950, in San Antonio, Texas, to Art and Phyllis Irwin. The family soon moved to Athens, Illinois, which is where she spent most of her childhood. When Linda started high school, her father, being in the Air Force, was relocated to Hawaii, which is where she spent the next four years of her life, along with sisters Judith, Barbara, and Mary and brother John. Eventually, her family came back to settle in Novato, California. After graduating with a psychology degree from SCU, Linda soon married the love of her life and best friend, Kenneth Escobar. Linda and Ken were married for nearly 45 years and spent 44 years in Santa Rosa, which is where they raised children Adam, Tim, and Donna before moving to Roseville this past August. For Linda, her children were her life and she made it clear to them how much she loved them and that she would do anything for them. During her time in Santa Rosa, Linda devoted her life to helping people. She worked as a counselor, both through her independent practice with couples and families as well as at St. Eugene’s School for more than 25 years. She loved working with the staff and the children at the school and empowering them with the knowledge and skills needed to solve problems and build and maintain friendships. Linda also coauthored the book Positive Discipline: A Teacher’s A–Z Guide, once again helping teachers and children overcome challenging behaviors at school. Linda was everyone’s “person”—she was the person everyone could count on to listen to them and to help them through a problem or situation. She was selfless in every sense of the word. She would drop everything that was on her full plate to help and she wasn’t happy or at peace unless those around her were happy. Linda knew just how to make each person she met feel like the most important person in her life. She had a special way of connecting with the people around her. Lots of things brought Linda joy in her life. She loved to sing and was very talented with the sewing machine. She also loved reading, painting, and being outside in the garden. She spent a large part of her life in the stands at countless baseball games cheering for her children and grandchildren. After Linda’s children were married and she became a mother-in-law to Jaime, Carolyn, and Kyle, nothing brought more joy to her life than welcoming her 10 grandchildren into the world: Madison, Mason, Marley, Maggie, Tianna, Brenden, Logan, Dylan, Drew, and Grace. Her grandchildren lit up her life and she found a way to make each and every one of them feel so very special and loved. Linda was a very involved Grammie and loved playing cards and solving puzzles with her grandkids. They would read books, sing songs, cook, sew, and do crafts together. Linda made sure that each grandchild had special one-on-one time with her to create lasting memories with Grammie. Linda has had an incredible influence on the lives of so many people. She will be greatly missed and is sure to live on in the hearts of all she has touched. Services will be held on Sunday, June 25, 4 p.m., at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Petaluma. Reception following at Petaluma Community Center, Lucchesi Park. If you would like to make a donation in Linda’s memory, please do so to either the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance or The Muscular Dystrophy Association.