Linda Elaine Keiffer

Linda Elaine Keiffer, age 76, of Deale, Maryland, passed away on April 26, 2024. She was born in Olney, Maryland, on July 11, 1947, at Montgomery General Hospital.

 Linda grew up on the Pope family farm in Gaithersburg, Maryland. At the age of ten, she moved three miles away to a home built for her family which included her grandmother Pope.

 Linda graduated from Sherwood High School, Sandy Spring, Maryland. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, West Virginia and a Masters degree in Reading and Language Arts from University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. After graduating from the University of Maryland, Linda moved to Calvert County where she started her family. After many years, she and her husband, Sam moved to their beautiful home in Deale, Maryland overlooking the water.

 Linda distinguished herself as an excellent educator. Her career spanned 30 years starting at Gaithersburg Elementary and ending at Calvert Middle School where she began as the school’s Reading Specialist and later taught reading, language, and social studies. In addition, Linda specialized in teaching gifted and talented students. She was a favorite of many students. 

 Linda was known for her deep love of family and friends. She never hesitated to stop everything she was doing to help someone in need. Her home was always open for family and neighborhood children to do fun activities, especially in the summer. During visits to her beloved grandchildren’s homes, Linda loved cooking, playing games, and sharing her many special talents with them. Her talents include being a gifted quilter, crafter, and baker. She is famous for her delicious Christmas cookies.

 Linda was an active member of Cedar Grove Methodist Church in Deale, Maryland, where she served 14 years as President of the Ladies Auxiliary Martha Lydia Circle. Linda also helped organize numerous church activities including: dinners for the homeless, funeral repasts, and other special church events. In addition to church activities, Linda participated in several organizations. She was a member of Annapolis Quilt Guild, Galesville Quilters, lifetime member of Montgomery County Fair Association and past member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society. She also volunteered as a coach for students participating in various oratorical contests.

 Linda is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Ziemer (Mark) of Arvada, Colorado; sister, Sylvia Pope of Port Republic, Maryland; and daughter-in-law, Stephanie Hollaway of Davie, Florida. She is also survived by her grandchildren Ella Hollaway, Mason Ziemer, Ben Ziemer, and many loved cousins and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, Leslie Edward and Ruth Pope Frye; her beloved husband of 35 years, Sam Keiffer; her son, Matthew Hollaway; her brother-in-law, Thomas Pope; and treasured pets, “Bobtail”, “Henrietta”, “Zippy”, “Tippy”, “Ralph”, “Penny”, and “Bella”.

 Linda will be missed by all. A visitation will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Cedar Grove Methodist Church, 5965 Deale Churchton Road, Deale, MD 20751 from 10 am until the start of The Celebration of Life at 11 am. In honor of her grandchildren, memorial contributions for Linda may be made to Experience Camps experiencecamps.org or to Autism Speaks autismspeaks.org.