Linda Carol “Cricket” Piasecki
March 26, 1949 – January 18, 2022
Linda Carol “Cricket” Piasecki suffered a terrible accidental fall while participating in her favorite pastime, quilting in her art studio at home in Sun Lakes. She passed away Jan. 18, 2022. Linda was born March 26, 1949, in San Antonio, Texas, to an Air Force father and a Texas homemaker. The family soon moved to Hawthorne, Calif., where she grew up.
She attended Hawthorne High School and graduated with members of the Beach Boys (Wilsons), who lived two doors away. She was very musical and enjoyed performing in her high school choir. At age 15, she grew to 6 feet tall and always stood out in class photos.
On Monday, July 5, 1965, while surfing at Playa del Ray beach near her home, she “bumped” into her future husband George Micheal Piasecki, Jr. He was just 17 and working at the Hollywood Park racetrack with his uncle, a thoroughbred race horse trainer. It was the first serious relationship for both. They became inseparable and were married on Sunday, Jan. 8, 1967. At the time of marriage, their net worth was $97 in cash, clothes in their suitcase, and a beat-up 1955 Chevrolet sedan. Neither the car nor the money lasted long. On their wedding night, the couple and a few friends partied away at nightclubs in Tijuana, Mexico, the only place they could get alcoholic drinks! After honeymooning on the beach in Del Mar, Calif., George enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and served for four years from 1967-1971. Their first duty station assignment was as lighthouse keepers at the San Luis Point Lighthouse at Avila Beach. They found immense compatibility living together in an isolated situation and bonded for life.
After the service years, they resided in the LA area, where they both graduated with Associate in Arts degrees from Los Angeles Harbor College. Linda majored in business accounting and would eventually graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her husband attained his Bachelor in Biological Science at California State University and went on to work at StarKist Foods.
Their son, Joseph Alek Piasecki, was born on July 11, 1974. In early 1976, StarKist transferred her husband to American Samoa and they lived in Pago Pago. Their second child, a daughter named Iza Marie, was born there on May 16, 1976. They resided in the South Pacific for over five years enjoying the Polynesian people, culture, and lifestyle.
Returning to the states and Southern California, they acquired an ice cream parlor in Laguna Hills, where they lived. After four years of operating it, they sold the business, sold their home, bought a 36-foot RV motorhome, and traveled the U.S. with their two small children while Linda home schooled them via the Montessori curriculum. Iza eventually earned a Bachelor of Business from EIU in Danville, Ill., and Joe attended school for a couple years at UT at Austin. After a year of wanderlusting, they settled on the coast in Corpus Christi, Texas. Linda worked as an auditor for a large company, while her husband entered automotive sales. In the mid ‘80s, they started a consulting business and traveled around the country advising automotive dealerships how to become more profitable. Eventually they purchased their own GM franchise in Danville, Ill., which they sold and retired from in 2005. Following their daughter to Arizona, they eventually settled down in Sun Lakes at the Cottonwood Palo Verde retirement community.
Linda was a very intelligent woman with varied interests and passions. She was a master at quilting and an amazing artist. Her works spoke for themselves. She was a founding member of the Sun Lakes Desert Threads quilt club and served as its treasurer. She loved attending quilt shows and in-person and online classes. She always had an enormous appetite for learning, which she could never get enough of, no matter what the subject or topic.
Besides being married to George for 55 years, raising their children, and working professionally, she enjoyed adventure! In her lifetime, she lived in or visited 42 of the 50 states in America. In addition to having lived outside of the country, she travelled to 26 different countries around the world. Mexico and Scotland were her favorites.
Linda was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Gila Butte Chapter. She was humble regarding her lineage, but took tremendous pride in her heritage dating back to a circa 1741 ancestor, Isaac Bowers from Groton, Mass.
Linda recently had acquired a passion for the physical activity of water aerobics, participating as her health would allow. She loved every minute of it, especially since she got to experience it with best friend Chris Callahan who attended these fun classes with her.
She was also a life-long member of the Girl Scouts of America, having achieved the highest achievement, the Golden Award. She enjoyed being her daughter’s troop leader and always strived to lead cookie sales in her area.
Between her numerous activities and volunteer work, Linda loved online video games, especially EverMerge, where she attained the top ranking of “Master Merger.” This despite never having invested a dime playing it.
Another of her passions was playing in Blackjack tournaments with her husband throughout AZ, NV, and CA. Even though she didn’t gamble per se, she loved the camaraderie of it and through it made lasting friendships with the participants and card dealers. She was especially delighted when she competed with her “best buds” Andrae Begay, Noemi Loppolo, and Dennis Delaye.
She could often be found listening to 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s music. After one to two notes, she could name that tune and sing it with her beautiful voice, which her husband found joy in despite being tone deaf. She even shared a love of Beatles music with her son-in-law Jeff Shewan and would be delighted when he played it on his guitar. While relaxing or with family and friends, she enjoyed the occasional cocktail, choosing from her favorites, which included single-malt scotches, mango margaritas, Jack and Diet Coke, and Heineken beer.
Some of her ashes will be scattered at the beach where she and her husband met and at the lighthouse in Avila Beach where they formed their forever bond. When it’s her husband’s time to join her, their wishes are to have their ashes combined and the process repeated. She was her husband’s love of his life. They were soulmates, best friends, companions, and partners in everything they did. She was his moral and ethical guiding compass. She leaves us all with a large hole in our hearts, as she was a good person in all respects. She was a “giver” not a taker, which we will always remember her for and her endearing smile that she greeted everyone with will live on in our hearts.
She had recently prepared a 2022 list of goals, things she wanted to do, and places she wanted to go, including the beaches in Mexico. Always so positive and optimistic, Linda was taken away too soon, but she is in Heaven now joined with all the angels.
A Celebration of Linda’s Life will be held on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at Sisk Park Ramada in the Cottonwood Palo Verde Country Club community.