Obituary of Linda Sue Wilkerson

January 22, 1957 – May 1, 2023

Family and friends will gather on 6/24/23 to say farewell to a devoted friend and mother, Linda Wilkerson who passed away at the age of 66. She was at her home with her loved ones at her side, battling a brief and valiant battle with cancer.

Linda was born in Santa Cruz, CA. on January 22nd 1957 as the second of five siblings to Robert Leroy Wilkerson of Kansas and Shirley Ruth (Dick) Wilkerson of California.

She graduated from Soquel High in 75’ and shortly after graduating Linda moved to Reno, Nevada where she would start her working life beginning as a pizza cook at her uncle's pizza shop until taking the plunge into her lifelong journey of warehousing starting at Bonanza Nut and Bolts in Reno. After returning to Santa Cruz Linda would continue her warehousing career as a floor manager at Driscoll Pipe, urethane pipe manufacturing plant located in Watsonville, Ca. where she would work for 15 years until the pipe plant was closed down, but during those years at the Driscoll Pipe Linda would meet the love of her life, Bernardo Bautista, and settle down to start a family and have one child, Robert Bautista.

At the time of her passing, Linda was the logistics manager at Maria Yee Inc, a furniture manufacturer and importer currently located in San Jose, however when she started working for Maria 21 long years ago, back in 2002 the business was located in a small warehouse suite by Harvey West Park. Linda quickly cemented herself as a strong independent rock for Maria and her husband Peter, lasting through multiple company moves and shipping out countless pieces of furniture out to their rightful owners.

Her hobbies included Collecting beach memorabilia, whales, mermaids and lighthouses to name a few, reading, she was currently obsessed with J.R Ward and her BlackDagger BrotherHood series, gardening, scrap booking, Classic Car shows, Rock and Roll and being a  Mother and Grandma.

She and Bernardo generously opened their home to extended family and lifelong friends. Linda felt truly blessed to have these cherished relationships with her family and neighbors.

She leaves her beloved companion Bernardo Bautista, her son Robert Bautista, and stepsons Bernardo Jr Bautista, his wife Layla Bautista, their daughter Desiree Bautista, Nicholas Bautista, his daughter Savannah Bautista and son Issaiah Bautista. Her Mother Shirley Wilkerson and Sisters Vickey Spencer, her husband David Spencer, Sheila Rogers, and her husband Norman Rogers. She also leaves countless other extended family members.

There will be a memorial ceremony on June 24 at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel beginning at 1:00PM. Followed by a gathering of family and friends at the VFW Hall on 7th ave.