Linda Marie (Bernhard) McKenzie

Linda Marie (Bernhard) McKenzie, 67, of Des Moines, died at home under hospice care on October 17, 2020, from complications of ovarian cancer. She passed away peacefully in her husband’s arms.

Linda attended Roosevelt High School in Des Moines and graduated in 1975 from Iowa State University, with a degree in Interior Design.

After college, Linda moved to Kansas City, where she worked as an assistant buyer at Halls. A coworker set her up with Bob McKenzie, her first and last blind date. They were married April 22, 1978 and had their daughter Lauren several years later. Linda changed careers and worked as an airport planner until 1988, when she chose to stay home, raise Lauren, and volunteer at her school.

In 1993, the family moved to Singapore for Bob’s job, where Linda embraced the food, the culture and living abroad. She shopped in the local markets and learned to prepare local dishes, took up Chinese brush painting, and planned family vacations all over the world.

Linda and her family moved to The Woodlands, TX in 1999. While there, she enjoyed volunteering through Therapy Pet Pals of Texas, with her beloved bichon, L’Agneau. In 2007, Linda and Bob bought what would be their permanent home after Bob retired in downtown Des Moines. They moved to Des Moines full time in 2013, where Linda was able to spend time with and care for her mother, Verna Bernhard.

Linda was a generous, caring person, thinking of and putting others first throughout her entire life. She loved her Monday night knitting group, her book club, reading with preschoolers through Book Buddies, and traveling around the country and the world with family and friends. She was a fantastic hostess and a wonderful cook who refused to follow a recipe exactly. She never made a bad meal. And most of all, Linda loved her grandson Oliver, who called her Amma.

Linda was preceded in death by her dad, Bob Bernhard. She is survived by her mother, Verna Bernhard of Des Moines; husband Bob; daughter Lauren (Steve) Centrella and grandson Oliver of Washington, D.C.; brother Jack (Karen) Bernhard of Westminster, CO; nephew Kent Bernhard, of Kansas City, MO; niece Loni (Ben) Hanlon, of Aurora, CO; and niece Kate (Adrian) Flitcroft of London, UK.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, no services are scheduled. We look forward to remembering her life with family and friends when it is once again safe to gather. Memorial donations can be made to Therapy Pet Pals of Texas, WAMU 88.5, or your local NPR station.

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