Linda Nielsen

Linda Nielsen, 81, passed away peacefully on October 3, 2024. She was born in Omaha, Nebraska on November 12, 1942. Her father, Robert Heilig, was a World War II Hump pilot and her mother, Lulalee Marshall Heilig, was a Radio City Rockette.

Linda was an outstanding swimmer, specializing in the backstroke. She competed in the Midwest regional swimming championships against Donna de Varona, who went on to win a gold medal in the 1964 Olympics. Linda also participated in barrel racing at 4-H horse shows in Nebraska.

Linda married her high school sweetheart, Alan Nielsen. They would have celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on November 12th. She was 14 and he was 16 when they fell in love and were married on her 19th birthday. Alan was a commissioned officer with the 101st Airborne Division of the Army, and Linda wrote letters to him every day while he was serving in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. After Alan left the army, he became a highly respected business executive in the photocopier industry. Linda accompanied him on business trips around the world covering every continent other than Antarctica.

Linda studied at the University of Nebraska, in Lincoln, Nebraska, majoring in Mathematics. After raising her three children, she went back to school to study Computer Science at Norwalk Community College, in Norwalk, Connecticut.  She then started her own business, Simple Solutions, providing tech support to clients in the real estate industry.

Linda and Alan lived with their children in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lawton, Oklahoma, and Canton, Ohio before settling in Stamford, Connecticut in 1973. Her family, dear friends, Sunday School students, and countless other people were on the receiving end of her love and generosity. To her, life was about giving, sharing, helping, and loving others more than herself. She is survived by her husband Alan, her sisters Judy Youngscap and Leslie Alexandria, her son Michael Nielsen, her daughters Karol Nielsen and Cynthia Nielsen, her daughter-in-law Noranne Nielsen, her son-in-law Christopher Pensiero, and her grandson Aidan Pensiero.

A private gathering of Linda’s family and close friends will be held to celebrate her life.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in honor of Linda Nielsen to E3 educational organization. Please follow the instructions below to ensure that the organization collects the donations in Linda’s name.

https://www.e3schools.org/donate

Purpose section - select the pull down menu option: “Where it’s most needed now”

Note section - write: “In honor of Linda Nielsen”