euskalkultura.eus

05/08/2016 - Arroyo Grande, EEUU

(Sonsonate, El Salvador, June 1918 - Arroyo Grande, CA, USA Aug. 5, 2016)

In 1918, a spirited baby girl was born in the tiny town of Sonsonate, El Salvador, named Erlinda Salaverria. She left this earth with her family by her side. 

Linda spent her early years in El Salvador. Her mother was of Guatemalan descent and her father from the Basque Country. 

At the young age of 9 she went into boarding school in San Salvador until the age of 18 when she graduated with an Associate's degree in Bookkeeping. In 1940, before the onset of World War II, she convinced her father to bring her to Los Angeles. She was the only member in her large family of 8 children to immigrate to the United States. In her boarding house she met several kind American women who took the petite Latin girl under their wing. They encouraged her to apply for an opening at Bank of America though her English was limited. Quickly she became the best teller and her books never failed to balance to the penny. 

She soon caught the eye of a dapper choreographer named Maurice L. Kusell whom she constantly found at her window waiting to deposit checks. She would pay him no heed, thinking that he was married until the manager explained that the "Mrs. Kusell" on some of the checks was his mom with whom he was in business. In 1948 they married in Los Angeles. They had two daughters, Maurina (Michael Zigelman) and Laurina (Larry Wartenbe), and a loving marriage until Maurice passed away in 1992. Linda then moved to Arroyo Grande to be near her daughters. 

During her lifetime, Linda learned to be a successful business woman with Maurice at her side, sewed beautiful clothes for herself and her girls, drew extraordinary paintings of Latin America, and raised two daughters to value their mother's and father's heritages and most of all, to value an education. 

She loved her grandsons, Jacob (Jennifer Taylor) and Edward Kusell-Zigelman, Matthew Kusell Justmann, great-grandchildren Abby and Hannah Zigelman, and her sons-in-law with all her heart. Among those she leaves behind that were dear to her are Ina Zigelman, Cordelia her sister, and numerous nieces and nephews in El Salvador. To all who have been so kind to her in these final years, especially her caregivers and recently the staff at Dignity Health Hospice, we thank you. 

Her zeal for life, her fascination with the simplest and most complex, her determination, her love for us, will always remain an enormous part of who we are. 

We will be with our mama again someday. Until then, each day will never be the same. We love you with all our hearts and may God and the Blessed Mother take good care of you until we are together again. 

Arrangements are under the direction of Marshall-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel. Mass will be held at St. Patrick's Church in Arroyo Grande. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Outreach at St. Patrick's Church.

(Published in San Luis Obispo Tribune on Aug. 14, 2016)