Linda Swibold

Linda Katherine Swibold (Martel, Dinsmore) joined her husband, Richard A. Swibold, with the Lord on June 8, 2025. She is survived by children Laura Radetski, Mark Dinsmore and spouse Christianne, grandson Adam Dinsmore, and stepchildren Donna, Denise, and Dennis Swibold, their spouses, and grandson Colton Swibold. 

Let me tell you about our mom…

Linda means beautiful in Spanish, and this could not be a truer definition of her. It also means Mom, Mamaw, Sweetie, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Servant, Teacher, Booboo Kisser (both literally and figuratively), Hugger, and many more definitions. She was our glue, our rock, our constant.

Our mom went to be with God on a Sunday. Sunday…her favorite day. A day of worship, family, friendship, brunch, and later in life…naps. Oddly enough, this was her brother’s favorite day also, who passed on a Sunday one year before her, almost to the day. Coincidence? More like God at work.

Our mom was dedicated to a life that included Jesus and giving to others daily. She was raised in the catholic faith by her parents, our grandparents, John and Camilla Martel. She and her brother Richard grew up in Indiana, where through her schooling she decided to make nursing her career choice. She attended nursing school in Kentucky, where she met our dad, Gayle Dinsmore. As a dedicated wife and mother, she moved with her husband and growing family to Texas, England, Wyoming, Missouri, Indiana, Germany, and ultimately to Arizona. Once settled in Arizona, she became a nurse at the VA Hospital, where she made a difference. While completing her education to acquire her master’s degree, she also wrote the job description for a new position of Head Urology Nurse and then was awarded the position. During her time at the VA Hospital, she had many life changes including a change in her marriage. Her second chance at love came when she agreed to go out to breakfast with a cowboy by the name of Rich Swibold, and the rest is history. They lived a wonderful life together in Catalina, Arizona, where they had horses and would ride in the deserts and mountains of Tucson. Upon retirement, they traded the horses for an RV and hit the road, traveling all over the United States. They would travel in the summers, and eventually settled for summers in Gridley, Kansas, always returning home to friends and family in Tucson in the winter months. Snowbirds. Family is what drew them back to Tucson, where they settled permanently.

She was dynamic, confident, loving, giving, and strong. She was a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a den mother to Cub Scouts. She volunteered to teach first grade children to read. She loved to sing and was in her church choir. She was involved. She loved to be social and through such was an actress in plays at her RV park, a square dancer, a card shark, a talented quilter, and an ice cream and latte lover. She wrote for herself with one of her projects being her memoirs. She would not allow us to read these, but now we cannot wait to read them. She was an elder and dedicated herself to her church, The Holy Way, for many years. This is a view of her life from 1000’ above. If it were 10’ above there would be so many more wonderful details.

Our mom was diagnosed with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease in early 2023 but showed signs well before that. Some may say that the battle with dementia is long and arduous. I’m sure our mom would say it’s short and quick in that her memory did not allow her to remember the time spent in the battle. Both a blessing and a curse.

She lives on in everyone whose lives she has touched. The cub scouts, the first graders, her patients and colleagues, and her friends and family. Thank you all for being a part of her journey. She is loved and missed by many. Donations in her honor may be made to Holy Way Presbyterian Church at 4040 S. Bilbray Ave., Tucson, AZ 85746. The office can be reached Tuesday through Thursday, from 8am to 12pm, at (520)965-2249. Their website is www.holywaytucson.org, where there is a QR code to make online donations.

Thank you all for your blessings, condolences, and sympathies. We have received all the cards and pictures and raise all your kind words and prayers up to her.