Linda K. Blakeslee, 82, of Pluckemin passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown following a brief illness.

Linda was born on March 6, 1940 in Somerville at the old Somerset Hospital to her late parents, Veda Stanley and Joseph Kalina.  Linda attended the Pluckemin School ant then the Bedminster Township School, having graduated from Bernards High School in Bernardsville.  She graduated from Paul Smiths College in Paul Smiths, NY majoring in Hotel Management, where she met her future husband, Ralph, in an impromptu snowball fight.

They were married in 1960 at the Pluckemin Presbyterain Church and settled in the Paul Smiths, NY area for a short period.  After moving to various communities in central New York, they moved to the Finderne section of Bridgewater.  From there they moved to an old, historic house in Bedminster Township, and then to her present home in Pluckemin in 1975.

Early in her career, she worked at several local motels, the VNA, served as a companion to elderly members of several local families, and finally, as a customer service representative at a local development company for over 10 years retiring in 2000, where some of her customers developed into lifelong friends.

While living in Finderne, she was involved in the Cub Scouts, Brownies, and PTA; and again in Pluckemin, she was involved in the PTA and actively supported the local Boy Scouts.  She also served on the Somerset County Board of Elections for many years.

Linda was an excellent cook focusing on good down-home meals which was evident when she hosted her legendary gatherings for friends and family celebrating Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day.

She was an avid antique and memorabilia collector, attending local auctions and garage sales, where again, she made lifelong friends.  She also loved establishing and tending her various flower gardens around the house.

Linda was a determined, strong and dependable person, but also a very kind and compassionate individual.  She made enduring friendships with people from all walks of life no matter where she lived.

Linda was a lover of all animals, especially the various household dogs and cats which she doted on and treated almost like her children.  She also had an affection for the backyard animals, especially the birds and foxes.  The birds got only the best seed from her three feeders, and the foxes got only the best table “scraps”.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her loving step-father, Joseph Stanley.  Linda is survived by her husband of 62 years, Ralph E. Blakeslee, Jr.; her daughter and best friend, Caroline B. Carpenter and her husband, Vincent, of Bedminster; her son, Ralph E. Blakeslee III and his wife, Gina, of Lebanon; her granddaughter, Emily Blakeslee of Wilmington, DE; and close cousins, Phyllis Herzog and Margery Cobb both of Bedminster.

A memorial gathering will be held at the Layton Funeral Home, 475 Main Street, Bedminster on Saturday, February 11 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm with a memorial service at 2:00pm.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the NJ Audubon Society, 9 Hardscrabble Road, Bernardsville,  NJ  07924, the Far Hills – Bedminster First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 834, Far Hills, NJ  07931 or the Far Hills – Bedminster Fire Department, 100 Miller Lane, Bedminster, NJ  07921.