Linda Catanzaro Boberg

To view the livestream service, go to https://youtube.com/live/QJyfWhSX-Bc

Linda Catanzaro Boberg (68) of Johnston, Iowa was surrounded by family as she died peacefully from metastatic breast cancer on March 19th, 2023, while in hospice care at Taylor House in Des Moines. Linda was born on March 17th, 1955, as the first of seven girls born to Joseph Catanzaro and Constance Parker Catanzaro and grew up in Holiday Hills, IL. She was a 1973 graduate of Marian Central Catholic High School, received a bachelor’s degree in English Writing in 1977 from Augustana College, Rock Island, IL, and received a master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance for College Student Personnel in 2008 at California Lutheran University (CLU).

Linda met her future husband, David Boberg, upon an introduction by a mutual friend in September 1976. The attraction was instant and mutual Dave proposed marriage three months later. They married on June 10th, 1978 in McHenry, IL. Linda worked as an elementary school teacher, a production editor at Rand McNally Publishing, a receptionist at Hillel Foundation for Student Life at New York Stony Brook University, a Chapel Administrative Assistant, and an Assistant Director, Multicultural Programs & International Student Services at CLU. In 2019, she rekindled her passion for writing and self-published six romance novels in three years under the pen name Adelyn Zara beginning with Finding Peace, a novel about a resilient woman with breast cancer who finds love, success, and peace. Two more of her books will be published posthumously.

Linda has many loving friends from her time spent living in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, New York, and California. In 2018, she had the pleasure of visiting her relatives in Ireland. She enjoyed visiting Dave’s relatives in Belgium. While working at CLU, she mentored and befriended many students from Norway, Ireland, Venezuela, China, India, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia. Her greatest pleasure was spending time with her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Constance Parker Catanzaro, her sister, Mary Kay Catanzaro, and her father-in-law, Russell Boberg. She is survived by her husband, David Boberg; sons Daniel Boberg (Sydney Protheroe) and Patrick (Marieta Wind) Boberg; daughter Meg Boberg (Shawn Peterson); granddaughters, Emmalyn and Elliana; sisters, Deborah (Chris) Hansen, Jeanne Lindaur, Angela (Dale) Daugherty, Roseanne (Steve) Niese and Constance Catanzaro; mother-in-law, Darlene Boberg; brothers-in-law Lee (Peggy) Boberg, Brian (Cathy) Boberg; and sister-in-law, Kay (Jeff) Peacock.

A visitation will be held at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home, Urbandale, Iowa on March 23rd from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00am on Friday, March 24th at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, West Des Moines, Iowa. A graveside service will follow Mass. Linda’s family kindly requests that any donations in her memory be made to METAvivor.org, a non-profit organization that funds research to help improve the longevity and quality of life for metastatic breast cancer patients.