Linda Jean Lettecci

Linda Jean Lettecci, 66, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2026, in Elk Grove, Illinois, surrounded by the love of her family.

Born on October 22, 1959, in Chicago, Linda Jean Hanson was the second of five children. Her earliest years were spent on Odell Street in a home full of family, her parents and grandparents under one roof, shaded by the big trees she always remembered. When she was four the family moved to Mount Prospect to a bright, sunny yard without a single tree. Perhaps that is where her lifelong habit of finding beauty everywhere began. All her life she noticed the small, good things: shady trees, blue jays, and the smell of lilacs coming through an open window.

She married and settled in Roselle where she raised her three children and built the life that mattered most to her. Being a mother was her greatest joy and her deepest passion. More than anything, she wanted to know that her children were happy and loved, and they never once doubted that they were.

Linda's working life was as varied as her interests. She began as a graphic artist then devoted herself to raising her children at home. Once her children were older, she went back to school to get her Masters in Education and took on part-time work along the way, including selling jewelry at home parties, consumer survey work with a marketing company, a lunch supervisor at her kid’s schools, and tutoring students throughout their education. She went on to spend 20 years with School District 54, the last nine of which she spent at Nerge Elementary School where her oldest daughter, Melanie teaches. She worked as an instructional assistant and created a drawing club for young artists where she used art as a tool to inspire kids to gain confidence in themselves and appreciate beauty around them. Working with young children brought her real happiness.

She was an artist at heart, forever doodling in the corner of every piece of paper, and a genuinely talented painter and illustrator. She loved to read, always reaching for happy books with happy endings. She was a wonderful cook, even when cooking was more duty than delight. She was a lover of music and sharing it with those around her. Her favorites included Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, Blondie, Queen, Linda Rondstandt, and many others. A practicing Catholic, she was a member of St. Walter Catholic Church in Roselle. She adored her cat, Tommy and cherished the many pets who shared her life over the years.

Those who knew Linda will remember her kindness and warmth above all. She was silly and funny, with a gift for quirky phrases and saying things in her own charming way. She was hardworking and organized, wanting everything just so even if she could be a little scattered along the way. She was one of a kind, the biggest empath, without a mean bone in her body. She lit up every room she entered and gave off a joyful and nurturing energy that people carried with them. She was simply, the greatest mom.

Linda spent her final months in the loving care of her sister Kathy's home in Barrington before moving to a hospice facility in Elk Grove for her final days.

She is survived by her husband of 35 years, Steven Lettecci; her children Melanie (Max) Ritschdorff, Kristin (Jordan) Plate, and Nicholas (Bre) Lettecci; her mother Deanna Hanson; her siblings Kathy (Gary) Grube, Michael (Patti Casica) Hanson, Pam (Marty) Summerfelt, and Jen (Nick) Max; her nieces and nephews Samantha (Bruno Bustos) Hanson, Michelle Grube, Rachel (Andrew Wicks) Hanson, and Sarah Summerfelt; and her sister-in-law Laura (Ian) Stevens. She was preceded in death by her father Robert Hanson and her nephew Ryan Hanson.

Visitation on Sunday, July 26, 2026 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at Countryside Funeral Home and Crematory 333 S. Roselle Rd., Roselle, IL, where funeral services will also be held at 11:00am on Monday, July 27. Following services cremation will be private at Countryside Crematory. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at www.komen.org are appreciated. Info (630)529-5751