lit a candle 6d agoHeard this from my mum on the phone this morning. She did Spanish with Mrs Willhite at Sherrard back in the seventies, still remembers her conjugation drills. 80 years old.
Their story
Linda Jean Willhite was a longtime teacher, school volunteer and small businesswoman from western Illinois who spent her career in the classrooms and community of the Sherrard and Rockridge school districts. She was born on September 24, 1946, in Lincoln, Illinois, to Earl and Betty Emmons, and she died on…
Linda Jean Willhite was a longtime teacher, school volunteer and small businesswoman from western Illinois who spent her career in the classrooms and community of the Sherrard and Rockridge school districts. She was born on September 24, 1946, in Lincoln, Illinois, to Earl and Betty Emmons, and she died on October 9, 2026, at Sunrise of Gurnee, a senior living community in Gurnee, Illinois, at the age of 80. At the time of her death she lived in Grayslake, Illinois, having moved there after many years in Sherrard.
Linda earned her teaching degree at Illinois State University and went on to teach English and Spanish for the Sherrard and Rockridge High School Districts, shaping the education of generations of students in the Quad Cities area of western Illinois. Beyond the classroom, she started and ran her own preschool, called The Kiddie Barn, which she operated out of a barn on her family's farm in Sherrard. She also gave years of service to her community as a member of the Sherrard School Board and as the lead volunteer for the American Field Service exchange program at Sherrard High School, work that connected local students with international hosts and host families for decades.
Her interests outside of work and volunteering were wide ranging. She was known to enjoy gardening, crafting, antiquing and tracing her family's ancestry, and in her later years she was an active volunteer with the Grayslake Historical Society and wrote poetry. She was a devoted fan of Chicago's major sports teams, the Cubs and the Bears.
Linda was preceded in death by her husband, Dale Willhite, and by her parents. She is survived by her three sons, Darrin Willhite, Mark Willhite, who is married to Megan, and Todd Willhite, as well as her grandchildren Sully and Cecilia Willhite, her sister Sue Williamson, who is married to Guy, and a number of nieces and nephews.
No cause of death has been made public. A memorial visitation and service is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Strang Funeral Chapel and Crematorium in Grayslake, Illinois, with visitation from 10:00 a.m. to noon followed by the service at noon. Interment is to be held privately, and her family has asked that she be remembered for her decades of teaching, her care for children and her quiet service to the communities of Sherrard and Grayslake.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Legacy | Obituary.
My mum too, said she was tough but fair.