Linda Bliss

Linda was everything to me. She was my beautiful wife, my best friend, my companion, my perfect partner, my soul mate!! She was my joy, my inspiration, my purpose, my life!! I did everything for her and she did everything for me - not because we needed to or had to but because we wanted to. Our life together was perfect and the story of Linda's adult life is the story of my life, which is the story of our life!!

Linda was born in Chicago, IL. Her mother, Elsie Mary Oversier, was of German descent and her father, Roy Rangvald Jacobsen, was of Norwegian descent, from which Linda got her beautiful red hair. Sadly, Linda's mother passed away when Linda was only eight. Linda had one sister, Susan, that was nine years older so they were never particularly close. Her father probably did the best he could raising a young daughter and a teenage daughter following the loss of his wife, but it was difficult for her. She spent a lot of time with her grandparents and her father's sister, Irene. She always spoke very fondly of them; summer vacations, at their homes on the river and helping to make traditional German and Norwegian meals - especially the desserts!

After graduating high school Linda attended Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, IL. There she met Larry Clark and on August 3, 1973 they were married, one month shy of her 21st birthday. They lived in the very small town of Malta, IL, which didn't suit her very well, and on February 10, 1977 they were divorced. After her divorce, Linda followed a friend to Ft. Collins where she met John Dotten. Like Linda, he had a sense for adventure and in 1980 they bought a Scout, outfitted it with a ‘pop-top', carried a canoe, and pulled a small trailer with a motorcycle and a small locker that held all of their belongings. It was all very well thought out and for ten months they travelled the United States. When Linda and I met she had already been to 47 of the 48 contiguous states - all but West Virginia.

The story of how Linda and I met is an unusual one and I have told it many times. Linda would always roll her eyes when I told the story but I think she really liked the fact that I remembered it! We met through mutual friends in my house in Aurora, CO. They were staying with me and had invited Linda to Denver, the ‘big city', to go shopping. Linda stayed for dinner and when I got home from work, there she was in my kitchen wearing this cute little bright yellow top, a jean skirt, and a pair of strappy wedges. I still have a vivid memory of that day, June 13, 1983. We celebrated our ‘monthiversary' every month - especially if it fell on a Friday or a Saturday. December 13, 2018 was our 35 - 6 monthiversary (35 years and 6 months)!!

After we met we began dating and soon thereafter merged our lives. We each had a dog, a water bed (it was the early 80's), a stereo, a washer and dryer, and not much else. We were both so practical and even then we were like two peas in a pod.

In June of 1984 I had the opportunity to start a new career in aerospace with Lockheed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA supporting NASA's west coast Space Shuttle launch capability. It meant moving and Linda didn't know what she was going to do. It was all very exciting but a big commitment for us relatively early in our relationship. But we loved each other and trusted each other so we packed up and moved to the small town of Santa Maria. There wasn't much to do there but it was a great base from which to explore the southern and central coasts of California, which of course we thoroughly enjoyed.

In February of 1985 Linda hired on with Lockheed and started her own career in aerospace. Everything with NASA was very schedule driven and we put in long hours. There was never enough time to plan a wedding. Following the Challenger accident in January of 1986, we transferred to Lockheed in Sunnyvale, CA and bought a house in San Jose. We were still very busy, now both supporting ‘Star Wars' initiatives, but we finally made time to plan our wedding and on October 13, 1988 we got married. October 13, 2018 was our 30th wedding anniversary!!

We lived in San Jose, CA for nine years and it suited us well. We both liked being back in a city and we loved the San Francisco bay area. There was always so much to do. San Jose became our new base from which to explore the northern coasts of California. We especially liked the NAPA valley and Sonoma wine growing regions. Over the years we went to many, many wineries, grew our knowledge of wines, and developed a taste for fine wines.

We worked hard and when we weren't working we played hard. We both loved to travel, to go on adventures and to experience and learn new things. Early on in our lives we did trips to Hawaii (Linda's 48th state) and the Caribbean. We honeymooned in Hawaii, half on the big island and half on Maui. Eventually we realized that we only had so much time and money and there was still a whole big world out there to see so we started travelling to Europe. Over the years we went to tens of countries, hundreds of cities and towns and probably thousands of churches, museums, and other historical and natural sites. We learned so much about the world - people, history, religion, food, wine, etc. - and with every trip we grew closer and closer together. That's probably one of the reasons why we were such good travel partners and enjoyed traveling with each other so much!?!

After becoming a Mission Manager for the Athena program, a small commercial launch vehicle, I had the opportunity to transfer to Lockheed Martin in Denver, which had become the ‘Launch Vehicle Center of Excellence'. After twelve years in California, we welcomed the idea and in April of 1996 Linda and I moved back to Denver. We bought a house in Highlands Ranch, a suburb of Denver/Littleton, where we have lived for the last 22 years. There is not one thing in our house that doesn't remind me of her!!

Of course, we both loved being back in Colorado. We traveled all over the state and all over the west going to every National Park and most of the National Monuments and Historical sites west of the Mississippi. We loved road trips again probably because we traveled together so well!! In July of 1999 two of Linda's co-workers organized a hike on one of Colorado's fourteeners (peaks over 14,000 feet high) and we got hooked. Over the next ten years, we climbed (hiked) many of Colorado's ‘official' 54 fourteeners. Every peak had its challenges and we had to work together to accomplish our goal - just as we did in life - and that too brought us closer together.

We loved going to the many art festivals, making a weekend trip out of them, supporting our local artists, and filling our house with more art.....and memories. We also really enjoyed the annual Colorado Mountain Winefest, held in Palisade, CO, and attended it almost every year since 1996. In the last five years or so we got into the craft beer revolution. We typically did a sampler, took pictures, notes and really had fun with it. It too became an excuse to go to new places or if in new places to go to the local craft brewery. We just had fun doing whatever together!!!!!

Linda worked on various satellite programs until she retired on February 26, 2015 after 30 plus years with Lockheed Martin. I worked on various launch vehicle programs until I retired on October 20, 2016, my 60th birthday, after 32 plus years with Lockheed Martin/United Launch Alliance. For years I would try to briefly explain to family and friends what we did as I watched their eyes glaze over or their faces go blank. One day Linda said that we should just say, "I build satellites and you launch them", which we've said ever since - to the glee of our family and friends! Linda had quite a knack for capturing moments, ideas, events, etc. with just a few words.

On Wednesday, January 31, 2018, Linda called our eye doctor to make an appointment. She struggled to read the numbers off of the insurance card and we knew something was wrong. On Thursday we saw her primary care physician, on Friday she had a CT Scan of her brain, and on Monday, February 5, 2018 we got her diagnosis - ‘multiple masses that had metastasized from cancer elsewhere in her body'. On Wednesday, February 7, 2018, she had a seizure and I rushed her to the ER. The following day she was admitted to the ICU for observation and preparation for surgery. On the following Monday, February 12, 2018, she underwent brain surgery. As bad as her original diagnosis sounded, her actual diagnosis was worse. Following surgery, we were told that she had a Stage 4 Glioblastoma (GBM), which is a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer.

The purpose of the surgery was to remove ‘as much of the tumor as safely possible'. Unfortunately, surgery took away Linda's ability to read and write. She couldn't use her phone, her computer, read the paper, a book, a magazine, or even work the remote for the TV. It was absolutely devastating to her/our quality of life. For months we worked with a speech therapist to try and get her reading back....but to no avail. About the only thing that we could do that was remotely similar to the things that we use to do was travel. So, we did a lot of day trips and in August we bravely did one more cruise - to Alaska - Linda's 49th state! We had an amazing time and did all of the things that we had planned to do. I am so very, very thankful that we were able to share that one last trip together!!

For ten months we did everything that we possibly could do to save her life - surgery, radiation treatments, and three types of chemo. We spent a week at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston pursuing possible clinical trials. We sought out a second option at the University of Colorado Cancer Center here in the Denver metro area. But it was not enough and at 12:06 am on Friday January 4, 2019, she passed away in our home. I held her in my arms for seven hours before I would let them take her away.

I speak to her throughout the day. I want to know where she is, how she is doing and if she is OK? I still want to take care of her!! She was an amazing person with incredible strengths that became even more apparent as her mental capabilities declined. She fought with every ounce of her being to "be normal" and to continue trying to please me!!

So very, very unfairly her life and our life together were cut far to short. We still had half of our adult life left to spend together. We used to say, ‘we have a plan, it's a good plan, execute the plan'. Starting with my retirement, we had a plan, it was a good plan, but we didn't get to execute the plan. Cancer robbed us of all but one year of that plan. I am most sad for all the things that she will never get to do and for all the things that I will never get to do with her. I've never felt so much loss, so much pain, so much grief. I think about her every second of every minute. I can't believe she's not here by my side as she has always been!! I miss her so much!!

I am so very, very thankful that for nearly 36 years we had such a wonderful life together and that we at least had one amazing, perfect, magical year together in retirement. Again, in just a few words Linda captured what an amazing year we had by simply saying that "she had never heard me laugh so much!" We promised to never forget each other and to never stop loving each other!! I only have the best of memories of her. She will always be in my heart and I will love her forever!!!!!!!