Vernona Jane (Hurd) Linley

MIDDLETON-Vernona Jane Linley passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, at Wynwood Assisted Living in Madison. \"Nona\" was born on December 23, 1921, in Flora Twp., Boone Cty., Illinois (near Belvidere), the third of seven children born to Vernon and Rose (Allen) Hurd. When she was two, her family moved to Madison and she spent the rest of her life in the area. Nona attended Randall Elementary School and Madison West Junior and Senior High Schools, graduating in 1939. She then attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison until the beginning of World War II, when she cut back on her classes to work as an aircraft instrument mechanic at the Army Air Corps base at Truax Field, and as an inspector of mortar shell fins at Madison Kipp Corp. After the war, she met William F. Linley, a young veteran recently returned from four years in the Pacific Theatre. A whirlwind courtship culminated in their marriage at Blessed Sacrament Church on September 7, 1946. Nona and Bill then moved to Middleton where they eventually built a house on a tract of land on Elmwood Avenue owned by Nona\'s parents. Three of Nona\'s siblings soon followed suit and the row of 5 houses (the fifth being that of Nona\'s parents) gave the siblings\' combined 18 offspring the unique opportunity to grow up next door to one another. It was an experience the cousins all appreciated and as adults, they continue to benefit from it, sharing a strong bond forged in their shared childhood. Nona enjoyed her role as a full-time wife and mother and became active in the community and in her children\'s activities. She taught catechism, worked with Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts, gave piano lessons, gardened, sewed, decorated, redecorated, and remodeled. In 1964, with all of her six children still living at home, Nona took the somewhat unusual (for the time) step of returning to the UW as a part-time student. She graduated in June 1966 with a B.S. in Elementary Education and accepted a position teaching second grade at Waunakee Elementary School where she taught until her retirement in 1980. A school assignment for one of her own children in the early 1970s rekindled an interest in family history that Nona had inherited from her mother. That interest grew and broadened, becoming one of the great passions of Nona\'s life. Over the next 30 years, she devoted herself to recording the history and genealogy of her own family and that of her husband. Nona compared her search for missing details to the solving of mysteries and her pursuit of information brought her in contact with many new friends and then-unknown relatives across the country and in Europe. She wrote and published eight genealogy books and was nearing the completion of two more when health concerns led to her decision to pass her files on to younger family members to carry on her work.Along with her fascination with genealogy, Nona enjoyed traveling, spending time with her family, and attending the various events of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was active in a number of groups and committees at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Middleton, the VFW Auxiliary, the Governor Nelson Dewey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Society of Mayflower Descendants, and the Dane County Chapter of Wisconsin Right to Life. Nona is survived by her children: Jane LaFlash, Madison; James A. Linley and his wife Jenny, Middleton; Mary Statz, Martinsville; Thomas H. Linley, Madison; and Lori Linley Liebetrau and her husband Mark, Mt. Horeb. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Chad LaFlash and his husband Dale Decker; Jason LaFlash, his wife Lisa, and their children Saxon and Finley; Staci Linley Stender, her husband Mark, and their children Emily, Kathrine, William, and Linley; Branden Linley, his wife Kimberly, and their son Mason; Nathan Linley, his wife Fazila, and their children Elyas, Imran and Yasmin; Erin Linley Holland and her husband Jase; Joshua Statz, his wife Gina, and their daughters Sydney and Addison; Jacob Statz, his wife Kristin, and their son Braydon; Micaela Statz LaChance, her husband Charlie, and their daughter Sienna; Adam Statz; a foster grandson, Mark Hollowitsch and his family; and two step-grandchildren, Kevin and Kyle Liebetrau. Nona is further survived by her daughter-in-law Kathy (Rick) Cotton; her sisters Ruth (Arnold) Mier and Beth (Russell) Gessler; her brother David (Ethel) Hurd; her sisters-in-law Esther Fortier and Mavis (Jerome) Fieber; her brother-in-law Michael (Betty) Linley, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Nona was preceded in death by her husband, William F. Linley, Sr., in 1988; a son William F. Linley, Jr., in 1984; an infant daughter Marilyn in 1953; and a son-in-law David Statz, in 2000. She was also preceded in death by her parents Vernon and Rose Hurd; her brothers John \"Jack\" Hurd, Robert (Hazel) Hurd, and Richard Hurd; her in-laws Henry and Ethel Linley; Iona and Eldon Smith; Marie and Leo Handel; Eleanor and Clayton Fitzgerald and James H. Linley. Nona\'s children and family would like to thank Ruth and Arnie Mier for their tremendous help during Nona\'s last few years at home; the caregivers at Wynwood of Madison Assisted Living Facility, especially Rosemary, Ablavi, LayFraniea, Gwen, Kaji, Sue, and Kevin, who took such wonderful care of Nona over the last few years, particularly in the last months of her life; and the staff and volunteers of HospiceCare, especially Julie, Val, and Joan. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. BERNARD\'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, 7450 University Ave., Middleton, at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, with Monsignor Douglas Dushack presiding. There will be a visitation at the GUNDERSON WEST FUNERAL HOME, 7435 University Ave., Middleton, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. There will also be a visitation on Tuesday at the church from 10 a.m. until time of service. Interment will take place at St. Barnabas Cemetery, Mazomanie, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to HospiceCare Inc. of Madison.Gunderson West Funeral and Cremation Centers 7435 University Ave. (608) 831-6761 www.gundersonfh.comMom-not only were you a wonderful mother, you were a role model; patient, loving and kind. You made the right choices, did the right things, and set a strong example for all of us. Thank you for the love you gave us (and, in turn taught us how to give), the warm and secure home you made for us (and, in turn, taught us how to make for our families) and the lasting legacy you gave us in the genealogies you created. You were our rock and we consider ourselves so fortunate to have been your children. May you never walk alone ...\r\n \r\n Memorials: memorials may be made to HospiceCare Inc. of Madison, 5395 E Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 Cemetery: Interment will take place at St. Barnabas Cemetery, Mazomanie, at a later date. Visitation: There will be a visitation at the GUNDERSON WEST FUNERAL HOME, 7435 University Ave., Middleton, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. There will also be a visitation on Tuesday at the church from 10 a.m. until time of service. Service: A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. BERNARD\'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, 7450 University Ave., Middleton, at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009