Linda J. Bessette
Marriages
Kim Potter
Obituaries
The Daily Sentinel page 6A - August 10, 2022
Surrounded by family
and friends, our beloved
Linda J. Bessette, 61,
passed away peacefully
on April 28, 2022 at Hope
West Hospice in Grand
Junction, Colorado after a
long and courageous battle
with cancer. Born on February 11, 1961 in Holyoke,
Massachusetts to Albert E. and Joan M. Bessette, Linda
spent her formative years in Granby, Massachusetts
with her five siblings (and best friends), playing games,
climbing trees, riding banana bikes, working in the
garden and participating in many sporting activities.
She attended Granby High School where she excelled
and lettered in basketball, softball and field hockey,
played flute in the high school band, was voted “Most
Likely to Succeed” by her classmates and was admitted
as a member of the National Honor Society. Her desire
for success, however, was far surpassed by her love for
family and friends.
Working at the Willamansett Nursing home the
summers before college pointed her to a career in
nursing; and in the fall of 1979, Linda attended St.
Anselm College in New Hampshire, graduating with a
degree in Nursing, and soon after became a Registered
Nurse. After college, Linda dedicated her time and
talents to her Country by serving in the United States
Army as an RN and surgical nurse for four years,
attaining the rank of Captain, followed by an additional
5 years in the Army Reserves. While in the Army,
Linda worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in
Washington, D.C. and, after training in Texas as a field
surgical nurse, served in a M.A.S.H. unit in South Korea.
She was eventually promoted from Captain to Major.
After her decorated career in the full time Army, Linda
took a position at Denver General Hospital in Colorado
as a surgical nurse in the Children’s Trauma Unit. From
Denver, her career brought her to Clagett Memorial
Hospital and then to Grand River Medical Center
both in Rifle, Colorado as an RN and surgical nurse.
Linda worked at Grand River Health from July 1993 to
August 2016. While at Grand River, she was an integral
part of the design team on two separate occasions for
the new surgical wing and worked as the Director of
Perioperative Services for a number of years. Linda’s
most recent years were spent at Community Hospital in
Grand Junction, where she was not only a surgical nurse,
but a cancer patient. Knowing her talents as an RN
and the love she had for her own patients, the hospital
asked Linda to be a spokesperson and fundraiser for the
new Oncology Center. Through her talent, work ethic,
passion and love of nursing, Linda earned the respect
of administrators, doctors, associates and peers; and
became a mentor to junior nurses, encouraging them to
go beyond their perceived abilities and excel as nurses,
care givers, teammates and, ultimately, friends. She was
on the new robotics team in Community Hospital and
worked on their inventory systems from home until the
very end.
Linda lived most of her adult years in Colorado with
her beloved daughter Emily and devoted spouse Kim
Potter of 34 years, along with a community of friends
and co-workers. She loved nature and the Rocky
Mountains and was a fantastic tour guide to all who
visited. She had an open house policy and became a
second mother to many of the neighborhood children,
where her swimming pool and kitchen became another
home to many. Many days were spent working in her
garden, on landscaping projects, or “floatin’ around the
pool”. She had a talented eye for nature and lifestyle
photography and was always seen taking photos. Due
to her love of lobster and helping others, Linda hosted
the annual Lobster Fest every summer in support of the
Colorado Organization Angel Eyes. She volunteered
for their Claws for a Cause fundraiser to deliver the
Lobsters from the front range to the pick up location
in Rifle where she would make sure everyone received
their order. The following month Linda made the
pilgrimage home to Granby to reunite with Mom,
Dad and family, who then headed off to her favorite
vacation spot, Cape Cod, to enjoy fun on the beach and
which always culminated in a shopping spree along to
Cuffy’s and a myriad of shops along Route 28, ending
with lobster rolls at Captain Parker’s. Linda became
extremely passionate about integrative and holistic
medicine and was determined to heal from her disease,
so that she could help others in her position do the same.
Linda is survived by her daughter, Emily and life
partner Kim Potter; parents, Albert and Joan Bessette;
sister, Laura Bessette and her life partner Nancy Hoff,
sister, Lisa Griffin and husband Tim; brother, Albert
Jr.; sister, Leslie O’Neil and husband Brian; brother,
David and wife Caroline, along with nieces and
nephews Amanda, Emma and Conner Griffin, Meghan
Bissonette and Brendan O’Neil, Albert, III and Joseph
Bessette, Jordan Stearns, Allison Bessette and Zackery
Bohnet. She was deeply loved by all and her passing has
left a void in the hearts of those who knew her.
Donations can be made in Linda’s name to Hope West
Hospice, 3090 North 12th Street, #B, Grand Junction,
CO 81506.
