Linda Howell Sharp Cooper Hevly died August 3, 2009 after her valiant fight with cancer. She was 71.

Linda was born April 3, 1938, to Ray Howell and Evelyn Emma Dougherty Howell in White Plains, New York. Evelyn married James C Sharp on February 23, 1950 and he embraced Linda as his daughter and legally adopted her the same year. She graduated from Greenwich High School in Connecticut and Middlebury College in Vermont not only with a BA in Geography but also with enough credits that she could have had degrees in political science and Spanish as well. After leaving college, she moved home to New York and began working at the IBM World Trade Center.

On June 30, 1962, Linda married Peter Cooper, an associate with W.L. Gore and Associates, Inc. in Delaware. They moved to Flagstaff because Peter was asked to manage the Company's first plant when it opened there on September 29, 1967.

She worked at Thompson and Nordstrom CPA's in the tax department and returned to school and earned her Masters in Accountancy in 1987 at Arizona State University. She was licensed to practice public accounting by the Arizona State Board of Accountancy until June, 2008 and also taught accounting at Northern Arizona University until her retirement 1999.

Linda married Richard Holmes Hevly, Professor of Botany for 33 years at NAU, in 1991. She shared the love of the outdoors with her husband.

Linda is survived by sons James (Shauna) Cooper and Richard (Michele) Cooper and three grandsons, and stepsister Victoria Paul of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. She was predeceased by husbands Peter Cooper and Richard Holmes Hevly. Her stepsons are Brian Hevly (Robbie), Kevin Hevly, and Scott Hevly (Lohti).

Condolences to the family may be sent through Norvel Owens Mortuary at norvelowensmortuary.com

Donations in the name of the Cooper Hevly Endowed fund can be made to the Museum of Northern Arizona Foundation, 3101 North Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001.