Linda Marie Harkin

Linda Marie Harkin (Berra), 77, of Des Moines passed away on September 17, 2025 peacefully at her home. She was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

She was born on February 7, 1948 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Glenn and Deloris (Suiter) Berra. Linda was the oldest of three children. She attended a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from DeSoto Wisconsin High School in 1966.

As a child growing up in Wisconsin, she worked on the family farm on Oak Ridge. After she was married, she moved to Iowa where she worked multiple jobs over the years. She met her long-time friend, Marilyn Elliott, at The Tavern Pizza. She retired from Farm Bureau in 2007 but continued to work various small jobs when she decided she wasn’t too busy.

She married the father of her children, Luther Oliver on April 16, 1966. Linda married the love of her life, Edward Harkin, on July 28, 1990. Ed and Linda made memories and lived a life of blissful happiness until his passing.
Linda loved spending time with her family and friends. She enjoyed going to garage sales and thrift stores to find her next “big” purchase. She was always working on craft projects, and occasionally she enlisted her children to help, which they “loved”.

She was an active member of Kappa Chi Chapter of Phi Tau Omega Sorority for 37 years. She attended all the business meetings, socials, and philanthropic events. She was awarded the Kappa Chi Member of the Year several times for her outstanding participation. She held all chapter offices and eventually served on the national level where she held six national offices, including National President (2014-2015). In 2021, Linda was honored with the National Member of the Year award. She took every opportunity to help others and to give back to the community.

She is survived by her children: Troy (Kim) Oliver and Tracey Oliver; grandchildren: Ashley Oliver, Chad (Erica) Oliver, Grace (Michael) Fulkerson, Lindsey (Levi) Lingner, Kaley Oliver and Zachaery Pennington; 10 great-grandchildren; sister: Carol (Dave) DeGarmo; brother: Mark (Diane) Berra; half-brother: Harvey Suiter; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Linda was preceded in death by her husband of almost 30 years, Ed, her parents, and her daughter Jeanine Oliver.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 24th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Hamilton's Southtown Funeral Home, 5400 SW 9th St, Des Moines, IA 50315. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, September 25th at 10:00 a.m. at Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home with a luncheon to follow. Burial will follow the luncheon at St. John’s Cemetery in Cumming, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Linda’s honor to Kappa Chi Chapter of Phi Tau Omega Sorority.

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