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Linda Diane Ward died July 10. Born in San Carlos, California, in 1947, Linda moved to Connecticut in the 4th grade, when her father was transferred to Aetna’s home office in Hartford. She graduated from Newington High School and went on to the University of Connecticut where she met her future husband of 49 years, David Ward, who grew up in Westbrook. They have one son, Justin Brant Ward of Alameda, California, and two grandchildren, Race, 10, and Marston, 8. She is also survived by a sister, Jo Ann Thune-Larsen of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and a nephew, Petter Juel-Larsen of Euless, Texas.

Linda was most widely known as the proprietor of The Red Balloon, a children’s clothing boutique located at the end of Main Street in Essex, which she ran for more than 30 years. Many customers were second and third generations. Others, many from out of state, made the shop a destination. She practiced old-fashioned expertise and knowledge of product when outfitting children, ranging from special occasion to casual classics. The shop was always welcoming and attentive to all makes and models of kids and their needs, and she always found a perfect solution for tentative gift-givers addressing any event.

At home and on outings, Linda was a keen observer of nature; on bird walks she was often the first one to spot the prize of the day. She fed the birds in her yard year round while nurturing the wild rabbits and chipmunks with sumptuous annual gardens and potted plants, making great places for them to take cover from neighborhood hawks. She thrived on the love and work she put into plants and gardening.

Linda was one of those truly upbeat and optimistic people who saw the best and brought out the best in others, tending to those in need as she found them. Anyone considering a remembrance honoring Linda should consider the High Hopes Therapeutic Riding organization, where she spent many of her middle years as an enthusiastic volunteer inside the ring with the horses and the riders.