Linda M. DeBolt

Linda May DeBolt of Fox Lake, age 72, died peacefully in her sleep on January 5, 2024. She was born two days earlier than expected, at 9:00 p.m. on October 2, 1951, getting her mother out of jury duty. And beginning with this event, for the rest of her life, she continued to display an amazing ability to solve problems, making those around her feel happy, important, and interesting. Born to James and Lillian (Shiley) DeBolt, the fifth of eight siblings, she dedicated her life to the education, intellectual and professional development of thousands of children. A 1969 graduate of Barrington High School, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 1975, and a Master’s in Educational Administration in 1992, both from Northern Illinois University. She served many years as a teacher, including 26 years of service at Mother Theodore Guerin High School, from 1974-2000. She was the Dean of Students for Mundelein High School District 120 from 2000 to 2003, and Assistant Principal for Student Services for Prospect High School (Township High School District 214) from 2003 to 2007, then returned to Mundelein as Director of Student Support from 2007 to 2010. From 2011 to 2012, she was an employee of West 40 Intermediate Service Center, assisting countless students in the J.S. Morton High School District in Cicero by providing support and eliminating barriers in their quest to graduate, effectively increasing the graduation rate of the entire district. She joined the Guerin Prep Board of Directors in 2010, which had oversight of the school’s finances and operation. She was elected Board Chair in 2011, serving in that capacity until her retirement in 2014. Over her career, she received numerous awards and recognitions. From her father she inherited impeccable honesty, irreproachable work ethic, a selfless approach to serving others, and a gift for storytelling, often laced with her dry wit and ending with a pun. From her mother she inherited a love for cooking and an appreciation for all living things and the outdoors. With no children of her own, she adored her nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews, often sharing her witty stories, or taking them on an educational excursion to one of the museums in Chicago. Her fondest memories were the family adventures to White Pines State Park, Starved Rock, Riverview, Lake Michigan, the Rock River, tobogganing in the Deer Park Forest Preserve, her Uncle Mike’s gravel pit, and the car show at McCormick Place each year. The family frequently visited South Dakota, including the Black Hills, the Badlands, and most importantly, her grandfather’s prairie homestead. In her own words, she also had a “strong, almost phobic fear of snakes,” which played an important role in the playful banter with her father while camping on the South Dakota prairie, known for its abundance of rattlesnakes. One of her favorite adult memories was a trip to Italy with her sister and a cousin, where they became known even to the Italians as “The Three Musketeers.” Linda’s biggest passion was researching her family genealogy, inspired by the prairie homestead stories of her grandfather, and seeded by a single brown grocery bag of assorted family papers and photos given to her after his death, when Linda was still just a teenager. For many years every Christmas, she would gift each of her siblings with a framed copy of a restored rare family photo she had found in her research. She fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2021, when she published a 51-page electronic book for her extensive family titled Breaking the Soil, which traces her patrilineal heritage starting with the arrival on September 3, 1739 of her sixth great-grandfather, Hans Michael Diebolt, from France to Philadelphia aboard the ship Robert and Alice. Besides her culinary meanderings, spending time with family, and travel to locations of genealogical significance, she enjoyed reading and the theater, and lunch or dinner with her many friends and close colleagues. She is survived by all of her seven siblings, Sylvia (Donaldson), Madison, WI, Carol (Dalitsch), Barrington, Mary (Sherman), Wauconda, IL, Jane (Dawson), Cary, IL, Jim, McHenry, IL, Martha (Stephens), Princeton, IL and Marjie (Sandstol), Cary, IL; ten nieces and nephews; twelve grand- nieces and grand-nephews; and her Boston Terrier Chelsea. She is further survived by other relatives and many friends, including lifelong friend Mary Stephany. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by niece Heather Bryant and nephew Matthew Stephens. The family appreciates the care offered to Linda by the entire team at River Woods Funeral Chapel.

Linda M. DeBolt

October 2, 1951 - January 5, 2024