Linda Daneen Hansen

Today, we gather with full hearts to honor the life of Linda Daneen Hassan Hansen (White Deer Woman) — our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, wife, and friend. A woman whose love shaped generations and whose presence was the steady heartbeat of our family. She was born on October 24, 1946.

Linda walked this world for 79 years with courage, humor, honesty, and the kind of love that stays with you long after you leave her embrace. She passed away on November 22, 2025, at Logan Health in Kalispell, MT.

We take comfort knowing she is surrounded by her loved ones who welcomed her home.

To understand Linda’s true legacy, you simply had to see her as Yaya — the matriarchal grandmother.

Not a title. Not a nickname. But a role sacred to our family.

Yaya meant:

• The grandmother who loved with her whole chest

• The woman who remembered every birthday, every story, every preference

• The one who held babies close, even as they grew taller than her

• The one whose hugs could settle an anxious heart

• The one who turned ordinary days into memories

• The one who prayed for her grandchildren without ceasing

• The one whose wisdom came through in her voice, her humor, and her truth

• The grandmother who showed her family what unconditional love looked like — every single day

As a mother, she guided. As a sister, she supported. As an aunt, she encouraged.

But as Yaya, she became the family’s anchor — the warm, maternal presence that all her grandchildren ran to, trusted, and adored.

Her laughter was medicine. Her advice was steady. Her love was deep, protective, and fierce in the way only a maternal grandmother’s love can be.

Linda lived through joys, hardships, losses, and triumphs, yet she carried herself with grace and resilience. She knew how to comfort, when to speak, when to listen, and when to simply be present. She had a way of making each person feel like they were her favorite — because in her heart, they all were.

Even in grief, we honor the beauty of her journey. She lived fully. She loved boldly. She left a mark on every life she touched.

Today, she walks with her parents, her son, her siblings, and the ancestors who came before her. She is whole again. She is at peace. And her spirit — our Yaya — stays with us in every memory, every lesson, every blessing.

We honor her by loving each other the way she taught us:

With honesty, with humor, with forgiveness, and with a love big enough to hold a family together.

May her journey be gentle. May her memory be a blessing. And may we continue to feel her love guiding us, just as she always has.

We take comfort knowing she is surrounded by her loved ones who welcomed her home.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Dede Hulett Armstrong & Ranold Armstrong, her son David Richards, her brothers Mike and John Armstrong, and her sister Dawna.

Linda is survived by her spouse, Gary Ramsey; her children Jerry Richards Sr., Che Hassan (Neona), and Jamila James; her stepchildren; and a large family of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and loved ones who were held tightly in her heart.

Memorial services for Linda were held on Sunday, December 7, 2025.