Linda Rowe (Hollyhock Bichons) passes away

To: Members of the Bichon Frise Club of San Diego and Friends

A beloved and lifetime member of our club, Linda Rowe, ashes were scattered in the

Pacific Ocean off the coastline of beautiful San Diego. She was surrounded by the

sounds of the waves and the vastness of the open sea. Her burial marker is the old

Point Loma Lighthouse that shines in the distance and guides mariners safely into San

Diego Bay.

A small group of family, friends and a Bichon Frise puppy, Kisses from Heaven,

boarded the vessel “Relentless” with Captain Mike Franchat at the helm whose calm

and steady hands guided us to Linda’s final resting place. It was a beautiful day with

some clouds and sunshine that added to the overall experience of the journey.

We all gathered with some sorrow and engaged in the celebration of Linda’s life who we

all loved dearly. The laughter was contagious as we shared many stories, enjoyed

delicious food, and clinked glasses of Champagne, just the way she would have wanted

it, especially the bubbling Champagne. We honored a life that brought us joy, warmth,

and unforgettable memories. We hugged tightly because of our shared love and

experiences with Linda. She brought us a deep love of dogs as well as extraordinary

warmth, loyalty, humor, and generosity to all of us.

Heartfelt speeches were given by Ed Maglione as Linda’s ashes, including her brother,

Jack, and her two Bichons, Polly and Emma, were cast off the stern of the boat.

Beautiful grapevine wreaths adorned with colorful roses followed the ashes as the

waves carried them out to sea. We watched the wreaths and roses floating on the

ocean as we individually said our quiet goodbyes.

A slide show was presented by her longtime friend and colleague, Bobbie Allen, with

reflections of photos representing Linda’s life as a teacher of the Deaf, educational

researcher, animal lover, and a longtime breeder of Bichon Frises. Her passion of

breeding Bichons started in 1974 when she became the founder of Hollyhock Bichons.

She had the joy to raise many puppies and match them up with new puppy owners.

Linda and Bobbie team taught in a classroom of hearing and Deaf toddlers,

preschoolers and kindergartners using a bilingual approach, English (spoken and print)

and American Sign Language (ASL). It was one of the first ASL-English bilingual

classrooms in San Diego County. Later, Linda mentored student teachers from

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in the classroom and Bobbie was the

university supervisor. The two remained a team even after Bobbie left the classroom

and was hired by UCSD. Highlights of Linda’s career included presenting at state and

national conferences with Bobbie, employing effective, researched based bilingual strategies for Deaf children, becoming a National Board-Certified teacher and obtaining

her Ph.D. from USC.

Linda started her career and training as a teacher of the Deaf at the John Tracy Center

in Los Angeles, Ca. The Center is a pioneering organization in family-centered

approaches and education that emphasizes developing speech and spoken language

for infants and toddlers with a hearing loss. The Center was founded by Louise

Treadwell Tracy, wife of actor Spencer Tracy in 1942.

Linda was a long-life learner and an expert in developing spoken language in Deaf

children effectively. Later in her career, she increased her professional teaching skills by

learning ASL and understood how ASL could support the acquisition of English (spoken

and print). She was a well-respected teacher of the Deaf and breeder of Bichons and

best of all, she was a dear friend to all of us.

Written by:

Sandy Fishell

Treasurer

Bichon Frise Club of San Diego