Obituary

Linda Suzanne Wooten, née Shalhoub, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Irvine, California on the morning of December 16, 2023.

She was born on January 19, 1939, in Los Angeles, Ca. A second generation Angelino and second generation native Californian. She graduated from Hoover High in Glendale, in 1956.

She then went on to attend UCLA, where she enjoyed driving her 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible down to the beach in Santa Monica on her study breaks.

While working for Dales Jr. Market she met and married Donald L. Wooten, June 28,1959. On their  honeymoon they drove  across the United States when they returned she created a unique scrapbook of their trip. They then moved to the Riverside Rancho area of Glendale and raised their family there. She was creative, artistic and talented, well-known in the neighborhood for her children’s themed birthday parties, and beautifully crafted  Halloween costumes. She was one of the original store window painters.

She hosted family celebrations that featured extravagant, delicious food and fabulous decor.

As her children grew she entered the work force, working part time as a Bank Teller for Bank of America.

She kept and maintained that same bank account she opened back then to this day.

After 20 years as primarily a mother and homemaker she fearlessly went back to college for creative writing and sociology at CSUN, completing two certificate programs.

An avid patron of the arts. She became a docent at LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

In 1989, she — to her everlasting joy — became a grandmother, a role she continued to relish throughout her life with each succeeding grandchild, and in 1991 she published A Mother’s Thoughts, a book of poetry and personal reflection on the experience of motherhood.

She relocated to a new home in Irvine, California in 1994, While continuing to work on her writing as well as devoting much time to helping raise her grandson, she also worked as a florist for Gelson’s Market and as a frequent volunteer at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts. She was an active member of her community in Woodbridge VIllage, and in her later years made many good friends at the Irvine Senior Center.

While she loved being a host and homemaker, and enjoyed gardening, traveling, and taking trips to the ocean, her true passion was writing. Besides her books, she wrote many articles published in newspapers and magazines, a screenplay that was nearly made into a motion picture, and a romance novel. She was a kind and cultured woman whose creativity, intelligence, strength, humor and compassion were boundless.  And yet, of all the things she loved and enjoyed, nothing brought her greater joy than her family. She loved all of them dearly, and loved spending time with them and showering them with the unconditional love only she could give. Most especially, she was a very proud grandmother!

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lee Shalhoub and Angelina Shalhoub (néeOfria); her ex-husband, Donald Wooten; and her son-in-law, David Dove.

She is survived by her brother Lee Shalhoub, 3 children, Tangee (Stuart)Cargill., Suzanne Dove, Don (Debbie)Wooten, her grandchildren, Elliot Wooten, Terin (Bailey)Cargill, Cameron Cargill, Lindsey (Jullian) Hernandez, her great-granddaughters Sophia Hernandez and Ava Hernandez.

Linda Wooten was a wonderful, joyous person with a bright and beautiful smile that lit up every room; she will be profoundly missed.