Linda Dianne Steenhoek was born February 16, 1944, in Knoxville, Iowa to Loren Laverne and Louise Evelyn Jones Rankin. She passed away, September 23, 2026, at West Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Linda was raised in a large family of six girls and two boys, she being the oldest. She lived on farms near Knoxville, Runnells and Pella, Iowa before the family moved to Knoxville when she was in the eighth grade. Linda was active in sports playing basketball and softball in high school. She graduated with the class of 1962 from Knoxville High School. She met and started dating Ron Steenhoek while she was in school. They dated for about seven months and Ron then took a job with the Department of State in Washington, DC. They corresponded by mail and he came back to propose later that year. She said “Yes."

Linda was married to Ronald Lee Steenhoek on May 4, 1963 at the Methodist Church in Knoxville and she moved with Ron to northern Virginia. Linda and Ron lived in Arlington and Falls Church before they bought their first house in Dale City. She became quite the tour guide of Washington, D.C. Linda was very involved in support of the education of their children, Patrick and Rhonda by being class mother and as a volunteer at their elementary school library. Linda eventually was a substitute teacher at their middle school before she took a job at a retail store. She was a volunteer with the Dale City Sports Club as a cheerleader coach, head of concessions and member of the board. She was Ron’s scorekeeper for his Little League baseball teams as well as head of concessions and organizer for fund raising dances and other functions. She was one busy person and enjoyed every bit of it. Linda was known as a great cook, especially the baking of brownies, Texas sheet cake or cookies. She baked for every game and even made enough for the opposing team.

Ron made sure he brought Linda and the kids to Iowa every year on vacation. On their way back to Virginia, they would take side trips so they could see different places of interest in many other States. On their 30th anniversary Ron and Linda went to England and the Netherlands. They were on a bus outside of London to see the oldest church in England when they talked to an elderly gentleman that could not walk down to it due to his health. They decided then and there to do their traveling while they had good health. They made many trips and cruises with his brother, Bill and wife Betty or brother, Dick and wife Judy. One of their favorite destinations was Las Vegas. When Ron started talking about retirement Linda quit her job, two years before he did retire. After his retirement in December of 1993, they sold their home, bought a pickup and fifth-wheel trailer and started traveling full-time. They did that for eight years and then in 2001 bought a mobile home at Windward Knolls Mobile Home Park in Thonotosassa, Florida which is about 14 miles from Tampa. Both Linda and Ron were involved at WK. They still traveled five to seven months of the year until 2010 when they bought their house in Knoxville, Iowa. During their travels they toured all 50 State Capitol buildings. They drove to 48 of them, by plane to Honolulu and via ship to Juneau. They also made two excursions to Europe and to Canada.

Linda had tried gardening in Virginia and had some success but the ground was not fertile like in Iowa. She usually had great crops in Iowa where she shared the bounty with family, friends and neighbors. Some were taken to Helping Hands in Knoxville to help out the less fortunate with fresh produce. She also donated canned vegetables, as well as jars of jams and jellies. They sold their Florida home in the spring of 2021 and that year spent their first winter up North since 1993.

Linda was preceded by her parents, sister and brother-in-law LaDonna and Alvin Godfrey, brother Loren, sister Lynette, sister-in-law Barbara Rankin, nephew Lee Utterback and infant twin great-granddaughters Sutton Rose and Layne Marie Munsell.

She is survived by her loving husband, Ron, son Patrick (LeeAnne) Steenhoek, daughter Rhonda (Dean) Munsell, grandchildren Meagan (Steven) Johnson, Travis (Lizzie) Munsell, Mitchell (Ashley) Munsell, Caroline Steenhoek and Genevieve Steenhoek and five great-grandchildren. Her sisters, Lauretta (Jim) Utterback, Lana, Lori Rankin, brother Lyle, as well as many nieces, nephew and other relatives.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Helping Hands or Knoxville EMS.