Linda Claire Peterson

Linda Claire (Schmidt) Peterson, 83, of La Crosse passed away at home on July 28th, 2026. She was a lifelong resident of La Crosse - and if you’ve spent enough time in the city, chances are you’ve crossed paths in one way or another.

She was incredibly involved with her community throughout her life – always ready to be a friend to those around her, and standing by to support the people she loved in any way she could.

Linda was born July 20th, 1943, at St. Francis Hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She felt lucky to grow up in La Crosse, meeting many of her lifelong friends and building deep roots in the community as a child.

She graduated from Central High School in 1961, where she excelled at the saxophone in the swing, pep, concert, and marching bands; she loved marching band, even though she admitted later that she was unable to play and march at the same time. During her sophomore year at Central, she met the love of her life, Kenneth Peterson.

After high school, she enjoyed spending time with her friends and the beauty of La Crosse during the summer, spending countless hours outside and on the river while soaking in the good times.

She eventually decided to pursue a career in medicine as an X-ray technician. In 1965, she married Ken and less than a year later welcomed her only child, Rebecca Lynn (Peterson) Chaouki. She followed her husband to Kansas and then to Sheboygan before moving back to La Crosse for the rest of their lives.

In 1978, she moved from an X-ray position to Radiation Oncology, where she cared for cancer patients needing radiation. While the job was emotionally taxing, she shouldered it with compassion and humor, offering comfort to those going through difficult health battles.

Linda was blessed with an unbreakable and devoted lifelong friend group; she started a monthly ‘ladies night’ where the group would gather for decades to come. She enjoyed quality time with friends and their families while staying busy with bowling, jazzercise, boating, traveling (especially to France), and taking French lessons. She never wanted to be the center of attention, preferring to let others shine, though she had a wicked sense of humor known to light up the room when the moment was right.

In 1998, she was thrilled to welcome her only grandchild, Zak. She was blessed to have her retirement from Gundersen coincide with his birth, which allowed her to spend much of his childhood by his side - playing games, watching Die Hard, and making lifelong memories. Zak affectionately knew her as ‘ShaSha’; the origin of the name remains unknown, though we presume it was developed from her saying “Shhhh” when Zak got too loud. She followed him through elementary school, where she began volunteering at Emerson Elementary to spend more time with Zak and the kids in the community. She loved it so much that she stayed for 10 years, earning the Emerson Excellence award. Zak loved both baseball and hockey, and ShaSha accompanied him to all his tournaments on ice and on the field. She continued her love of baseball until the day she passed, as a passionate Brewers fan.

Aside from her decade of volunteering with children, she also volunteered at Mayo in La Crosse, where she comforted cancer patients as she did before she retired.

Linda is survived by her daughter Rebecca Chaouki and her grandson Zak Chaouki. Additionally, her two nephews, John Elvik and Dirk Foss, as well as her beloved dog, Lucroy, and cat, Sark. She was preceded in death by her husband Kenneth Peterson and her parents William and Gertrude Schmidt.

A funeral will be held on Friday, August 7th, 2026, at 3 PM at North Presbyterian Church in La Crosse, followed by an upbeat celebration of life at 4:30 PM at Celebrations on the River on French Island. Online guestbook is available at www.schumacher-kish.com.