Linda Grace Sherek

Memorial Mass for Linda Grace Sherek, 89, of Biwabik, will be 10:30am Saturday, May 4, 2024 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Biwabik with Fr. Dennis Hoffman as celebrant.  Friends may gather one hour prior at the church.  Burial will be at a later date in the Lakeside Cemetery in Biwabik, Minnesota.  Arrangements by Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Gilbert.

Linda died suddenly Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Essentia Health – Northern Pines in Aurora.

She was born in Kolbermoor, Bavaria, Germany on November 6, 1934 to Mathias and Katarina Rottenburger in the big house across the canal from the cemetery.  She was christened Adelinde Krescenz Rottenburger, but shortened her name when she received her citizenship in 1963.  Her childhood was very rough; growing up during the war but Katarina made it as good as she could.  With Mathias away in WWII for five years, they had to forage for extra food from farmers and fruit growers.  When a birthday came along, she begged for flour and eggs.  Then there were the long nights in the bomb shelters when the allies bombed the railroad station in nearby Rosenheim.

Linda always shivered when she heard a tornado siren test in Biwabik.  Linda met Dave Sherek while he was in the Army in Germany and came to Biwabik on March 21, 1960; landing in Minneapolis the night before.  They married on May 7, 1960 at St. John’s Church in Biwabik without any of her family attending.  The Sherek family did its best to welcome her and make her feel at home.  When son Mike came along in May 1962, she didn’t have much time to be homesick for Germany.  But in 1964 she proudly brought little Mike to visit his grandparents in Kolbermoor.  They loved and spoiled him for six months.

When Linda and Dave bought their house, she was the first in her family to ever own a single family home.  She delighted in cooking all the dishes her mother had cooked, without a cookbook.  Later she learned to cook some Slovenian food from mother-in-law, Ann Sherek.

When grandkids Jami, Megan and Riley were born, Linda was devoted to them and loved it when they called her Oma.  When Giants Ridge came about, Linda volunteered timing in the shack for cross country ski races, which allowed her to volunteer for Biathlon World Cup in Lake Placid, New York.  While there she made friends with both German and Austrian ski teams.

When Dave retired, he and Linda took advantage of free time and visited Germany many times, and celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary there with family and friends.

Linda is preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Krimhilde Hafner and Mitzi Gibson and nieces, Birgit and Evelyn.

She is survived by husband, Dave; son, Mike (Julie), grandchildren: Jami Anderson (Rick), Megan Erickson (Josh), and Riley Sherek (Kayla); great grandchildren: Griffin, Ariana, Drake, Mira, and Kai; nieces, Hilde Steidl, Angelica Gibson; nephews, Armin Hafner, Artur Hafner, Mario Gibson and John Gibson.