Dr. Linda Berniece (Phillips) Knoblock was born August 3, 1943 and peacefully passed into the loving arms of Jesus on April 1, 2015 at the Big Sky Health Care Community following a courageous battle with cancer. She was raised in East Helena, graduated from Helena High School in 1961 and from the University of Montana in 1964. Her first teaching position was in Mullan, Idaho where she met the love of her life, her future spouse Jack Knoblock. Unfortunately Jack was tragically killed when his Air Force jet crashed just a couple years after they were married.
While attending UM Linda relished her college experience. She pledged the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, chaired the student government planning board, was first runner-up in the Miss MSU contest, and marched with the Air Force Angel Flight and the Army K-Dette Corps.
Linda returned to Missoula for the UM’s homecoming for the first time in 1988, and missed only one homecoming after that. She was a consummate supporter of her alma mater, both financially and through service. Linda established two scholarship endowments at the university and served on the Alumni Association’s House of Delegates, the UM Alumni Association Board, the UM Foundation Board of Trustees, and the UM Grizzly Riders. She was a founding member of the Davidson Honors College Advisory Board and remained a member until the time of her death. Linda supported the Davidson Honors College building and the Resource Room is named in her honor. She was a life member of the UM Alumni Association, a Life Loyal member of the Theta sorority, and co-chair of a recent successful capital campaign to refurbish the KAT sorority house.
After receiving her doctorate degree, Linda accepted a teaching position in 1985 at Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona. She taught her first English class off site before the campus was built. In later years she founded the college’s honors program and took an active role in regional and national level honors education. Each year, several of her students had a chance to accompany Linda to the annual honors convocations. Her love of literature and learning provided inspiration for many a student. Linda retired to her beloved state of Montana after teaching at PVCC for 20 years.
Back in her old stomping grounds, Linda purchased one of the beautiful old mansions in Helena, a home that she had first visited as a child when she attended a tea party with her Girl Scout troop. She refurbished the home room by room, filling each with antique furniture that she had collected over the years. Of particular note, she generously opened her home to various charitable organizations for receptions and fundraising events, including the St. Peters Hospital Foundation tea, the Original Governor’s Mansion Christmas Tour, the Helena Symphony, and the UM Foundation.
She was a longtime member of P.E.O. (a philanthropic education organization that supports education for women) and she was on the Board of Directors for the Helena Symphony. Linda loved the mountains of western Montana and appreciated nature. She was adventurous, enjoyed hiking with her beloved Samoyeds, and downhill skiing. She worked in Yellowstone Park during college and returned there on a glorious winter snow cat tour shortly after she returned to Helena.
A world traveler, Linda visited every continent. She explored the Galapagos Islands in awe of the blue footed boobie, she lived with the polar bears out on the frozen arctic tundra beside Hudson Bay, and in May she swam with the pink dolphins in the Amazon River and hiked to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu. Her favorite destination was Antarctica where she visited several times and became so enamored with the penguins that she created a documentary about them while on a sabbatical from PVCC.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents Ramona and George Phillips, her brother Roger Phillips, and her husband Jack Knoblock. She is survived by numerous cousins and a host of friends and sorority sisters who meant the world to her and who will miss her dearly.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Alpha Nu Education Foundation scholarship established in Linda’s memory (with Linda Knoblock in the memo line) may be made payable and sent to: Alpha Nu Education Foundation, Kappa Alpha Theta, P.O. Box 17006, Missoula MT 59808. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Please go to CaringBridge.org and visit Linda Knoblock for updates as to when and where services will be held. Please feel free to post your memories of Linda that you would like to share. You may also visit below to leave a condolence or share a memory of Linda.
Service Schedule
Celebration of Her Life
11:00 am
Friday May 1, 2015
Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home
3750 North Montana Ave
Helena , Mt 59602
Reception
Following Celebrtation of Life
Friday May 1, 2015
Social hall of Funeral home
3750 North Montana Ave.
Helena , MT 59602
Burial
Immediately Following Reception
Friday May 1, 2015
Forestvale Cemetery
Helena , Montana 59602
Service Schedule
Celebration of Her Life
11:00 am
Friday May 1, 2015
Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home
3750 North Montana Ave
Helena , Mt 59602
Reception
Following Celebrtation of Life
Friday May 1, 2015
Social hall of Funeral home
3750 North Montana Ave.
Helena , MT 59602
Burial
Immediately Following Reception
Friday May 1, 2015
Forestvale Cemetery
Helena , Montana 59602
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St. Peter's Hospital Foundation says
Helena has lost a beautiful, giving individual. Linda was always there when asked. She certainly will be missed by many.
Helena Symphony says
May you rest in peace and rise in glory, Linda. We knew you as a kind, generous, thoughtful friend and colleague. Your support of the arts and the community was without peer and reflected the beauty inside of you. We miss you already.
Diane Carlson Evans says
Linda lived her life to the fullest. Her friendships were strong; as a professor she touched the lives of hundreds of students and as a generous donor to her special charities , which she cared for so dearly, she left her legacy of love and compassion. She was courageous to the end. Her memories of traveling around the world, her beloved dogs, her devoted friends were surely with her in heart and spirit and comforted her until her last breath.
Patty Dean says
Linda was a wonderful neighbor & generous person. This past fall, I was walking my dog by her house & she came practically running up the sidewalk to warn me about an very protective doe who’d taken up residence in her yard. Ave atque vale.
Bill and Joyce Clausen says
We will miss Linda a lot. She was a true Griz fan, a sister to our dear friend Roger, who was in our wedding in 1969. We lost Roger also, and miss him.
We send love and sympathy to all of Linda’s family and friends.
Bill and Joyce Clausen
Margaret Woo says
Rest in peace, dear friend. You belong with the angels. We have found good loving homes for your girls. Give Bear & Adelie a hug as you pass by. This community will miss Linda greatly, as she had so much to give and gave so willingly. We love you.
Denise Feller says
I will miss you, Linda–more than we could have dreamed.
Crystal Wong Shors & Dave Shors says
We began our friendship with Linda with a mutual fondness for old things and history. She was accomplished, generous and hard-working. We’ll remember Linda as gracious and classy– fiesty when she needed to be– and always honest. The causes she worked to help will remember and miss her.
Kaye Keppner Williams says
I’ve known Linda since 1963. She was a dedicated teacher and a good friend.
She has many friends in Mullan, Idaho where I first knew her. She was a gracious and giving person and I will miss her. I am priviledged to have had her in my life for all these years.
Robert Pfeffer MD & Cookie says
Your spunky personality and enthusiasm for live will be deeply missed. We are thankful for the short time we had with you. To your representatives, please let us know when Linda’s Celebration of Life with be.
Les Loble says
I have known Linda from high school. Linda was a wonderful, warm and witty woman. She will be missed.
Theresa Trexler Teneyck says
i knew Linda from Mullan where she was my French teacher. She was great to have as a teacher. It was always fun to go to Mullan reunions and get to see her. Rest in peace.
Bill Conlon says
Please accept my deepest sympathy for your great loss. No matter how long our loved one lives, death always bring sorrow. The Bible give much hope and comfort. At John 5:28,28 we find the hope of the Resurrection. And Revelation 21:3-5 tell of a time when death will be no more. May Jehovah God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant you comfort in your time of need.
Elinor Misfeldt Dickson says
Being a Theta sister I knew Linda, although she was a year younger than I, at UM; we also were in Angel Flight together. Linda, you were such a kind and generous person. May you always be in heaven with the angels and I will see you when I go there; we can have more fun Theta/Homecoming times!! So glad I got to visit you in Helena a few years back in your wonderful “mansion” house. May you rest in peace. My love and prayers go out to all who knew you. Know we all feel the loss.