Linda Anne Butler

Linda Butler
Ankeny Iowa

Linda Butler, of Ankeny, Iowa, passed away on April 25, 2026. She will be remembered as a devoted “Mom Mom” to her seven grandchildren, a wonderful mom, and a great friend.

Linda was born in Macomb, Illinois, and graduated from Macomb High School and Western Illinois University. She worked as a CPA for many years, modeling for her kids that it was possible to build a career and be a great mom at the same time. Through her example, she taught them the value of humor, love, hard work, and financial responsibility. Perhaps her proudest financial accomplishments were buying Nvidia low and using her Kohls cash.

She filled her days with the things and people she loved: her Monday Morning Quilting group (which she delighted in telling people actually met on Wednesdays and did origami), her regular Coffee Group (even though she didn't actually drink coffee), laughing through mahjong and card games, staying active with water aerobics and water volleyball, catching up over coffee, and reminiscing with lifelong friends, many of whom still call her “Clyde.” She loved to make people laugh and was committed to sharing puns and jokes via social media. Her friendships spanned years, locations, and phases of life, and were full of the kind of stories that only decades together can create.

She also enjoyed the simple things done well: a good pork tenderloin, a bowl of popcorn, a Diet Pepsi, and time spent with the people she loved.

Above all else, she was “Mom” and “Mom Mom” - the titles she wore most proudly. Her three children, their spouses, and her seven grandchildren were her greatest joys, and she made sure each of them knew it. Whether she was in the auditorium, on the sidelines, watching online, or reading every book they brought to her lap, she showed them what it means to be loved without conditions and supported without limits.

She is survived by her sister Janet (Gary) Bayer; stepmother Darlene Roth; sister-in-law Martha (Ray) Clyde; daughter and son-in-law Sarah and Chris Schinckel and their children Liz and Grant; daughter and son-in-law Laura Barclay and Josh Borchert and their children Logan and Raelyn; son and daughter-in-law Ben and Annie Butler and their children Mary Kate, Sadie, and Bryan; forever friend Diane (Dan) Flaherty, along with nieces, nephews, and many friends who were close enough to be considered family. She was preceded in death by her father, Don; her mother, Marilyn; and her brother, John.

We will carry her with us in the traditions she started: Mom Mom meatballs, peanut butter delights, scratch-off lottery tickets in Christmas stockings, and a simple, familiar “love ya!”

Toward the end, she joked that her life could be summed up in a simple poem: “Clyde died.” It was classic Mom - unexpected, a little inappropriate, and delivered with a laugh. And somehow, it reminds us even now: she never lost her sense of humor, and she wouldn’t want us to lose ours either.

A service will be held May 4, 2026 at Hamilton’s near Highland Memory Gardens Funeral Home, 121 NW 60th Ave Des Moines, IA. Visitation will take place noon - 2pm with a service starting at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Ankeny First United Methodist Church.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.hamiltonsfuneralhome.com

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