Linda Sue Willen

Linda Sue Willen, 70, of Indianapolis, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2025. Born on August 11, 1955 in Brazil, Indiana, she attended grade school in Centerton, Indiana before completing her education in Warren Township schools, graduating from Warren Central High School in 1973. She obtained a teaching degree from Hanover College in 1977, having survived a horrific tornado at the campus the previous year. Linda later received a Master’s Degree from Indiana University. Her first teaching job was for the first graders in Carrollton, Kentucky. After one year she returned to Indianapolis and taught in the Mt. Vernon School District. She then taught special education in Warren Township where she finished her education career as a Counselor at Raymond Park Middle School. In 2017, Linda was named teacher of the year at Raymond Park. Linda was an avid sports fan and spent many hours with her family watching Purdue basketball, Colts football, and Blues hockey. In 2018, Linda met Leslie Leyland Fields while attending a writing seminar. After retiring from teaching, Linda became Leslie’s personal assistant and one of 15 Story Leaders in Leslie’s online ministry, the Memoir Masterclass, that serves 1,000 writers around the world. Their mission is to foster hope, healing and faith as people write into and through their difficult life stories. With Linda’s heart and her skills, she soon became the “Mama Bear” of the group, serving as counselor and pastor of the other Story Leaders as well as engaging deeply with hundreds of writers, encouraging them onward in their stories and healing. Linda leaves behind ample funds to initiate the Linda Willen Scholarship Fund for Writers. These scholarships will go toward selected writers desiring to join the Memoir Masterclass or the Writing Retreats in Alaska who need financial support to do so. Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Merl and Gayle Willen. She is survived by her brothers, Stan (Deb) Willen and Mark Willen. A Memorial Service will be held Monday, December 1, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. at Meridian Street United Methodist Church, 5500 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, followed by visitation until 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Linda Willen Scholarship for Writers Fund via either check made out to that fund or through electronic payments through Paypal (to Leslieleylandfields@gmail.com).

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Linda Sue Willen

August 11, 1955 - November 19, 2025