Linda Hines

Linda Marie Hines passed away after a long illness on December 2, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska at the age of 84 years, surrounded by her loving family. She was born December 20, 1940 in Denver, Colorado, grew up in Portland, Oregon, and was a long-time resident of Washington state.

Linda was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Hines; parents Laurence and Betty (Fish) Arnold; sister LaDean (Arnold) Luna; brothers Walter Arnold and Wayne Arnold. She is survived by her children Warren (Becky) Hines, Eric (Pam) Hines, and Alan (Silke Wendt) Hines; grandchildren Ethan (AnnaRose) Hines and Gareth (Morgan) Hines, and Cecilia Wendt; great-grandson Jack Hines; and nieces, nephews, and other family.

Her deep love for her family, strong faith, and drive to make life better for others-especially children and animals-were her guiding lights throughout her life. Linda was married to the love of her life, Don, from 1962 until his untimely death in 1998. She was the proud mother of three sons (who tried-rather unsuccessfully-to not give her grey hair), as well as a menagerie of pets over the years which included dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, parakeets, and a cockatiel. She was a wonderful and talented person, an amazing and determined woman, and a deeply caring parent and friend.

Throughout her life Linda exemplified the power of gentle persistent caring as an individual and in partnership with others, and relentlessly focused her skills, expertise, determination, and empathy towards achieving that goal. Linda understood the importance of nurturing bonds between people as individuals as well as between people and animals, and believed deeply in the comfort, healing, and love they all can bring to one another. Through her tireless dedication and trailblazing, she touched countless lives, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and faith in action.

The first in her family to attend college, Linda graduated from Lewis and Clark College (Portland OR) in 1962 with a BA in English, and earned an MA in English from Indiana University (Bloomington IN) in 1967. She taught high school and college English from 1962-67. From 1973-83, she served as research associate, editor, managing editor, then Director of two Offices at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University.

In 1979 she worked with Dr Leo K. Bustad, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University (Pullman), to establish the People-Pet Partnership (PPP), supporting volunteers in animal-centered community service in schools, nursing homes, prisons, and in therapeutic horseback riding for children with disabilities. Linda, Dean Bustad, and Dr Michael McCulloch of Portland OR, then founded the Delta Society, a national and international nonprofit organization with the mission of improving human health through service and therapy animals. From 1983 to 2003 Linda served a short stint as the first Executive Director and then became President/CEO. She moved the organization's national office from Pullman to Seattle (Renton) in 1983 and established Delta's East Coast office in New York City in 1993. To extend the impact of this field in other countries, she co-founded the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) in 1990 and served as its first Secretary/Treasurer.

During her 25-year tenure at PPP and the Delta Society, Linda focused the organization on research and advocacy to improve and broaden our knowledge of the human-animal bond, mainstreamed human-animal therapy, and built public recognition of the positive health effects of companion animals. She built an international network of subject matter experts and researchers, and together they performed ground-breaking work which ranged from providing criteria and standards for training a wide variety of therapy animals to government and community outreach (for example in New York City in the mid-1990s this translated to the breakthrough that cabs were required to pick up individuals with service animals). She proved gifted at building diverse and powerful local-to-international networks of sponsors and supporters which ranged from the business and society elites of NYC to grassroots individual therapy teams.

Linda's "retirement" in 2003 was short-lived, as she quickly began volunteering with a small nonprofit that sought to benefit orphaned and at-risk children In Tanzania. In short order she became the volunteer president and then transformed that small charity into Songeas Kids (SK), a 501(c)(3) international nongovernmental organization built upon compassion-centered partnerships, accountability and transparency, and sustainable change. Linda's unwavering belief in the dignity and potential of every child was and is foundational for everything SK does to build hope and transform the lives of orphans, vulnerable children, and the communities in which they live. Her leadership inspired countless supporters and community members, and her vision opened doors to education and opportunity for children who needed it most. Linda started with the creation of a child sponsorship program that paired international sponsors with children in urgent need, enabling extended families to provide nurturing homes, nutritious food, clothing, health care, and education. Building on that success, she tackled the challenge of ensuring the orphans and marginalized children could receive the education needed to break the cycle of poverty. She broadened the sponsorship program to include education, which today supports more than 150 children. Over the past 10+ years dozens more have already graduated, becoming productive and engaged members of Tanzanian society. Once the child sponsorship program was firmly in place, Linda turned her attention to the profound crisis facing children with no extended family to take them in. Drawing on her network of volunteers, pro-bono experts, and donors, she undertook an extraordinary effort: designing and building an entire village from 60 acres of bush in rural Tanzania. Her vision for Hope Village was a residential haven for orphaned and abandoned babies and children-a vibrant, nurturing community with clean water, health care, education and training, and small agricultural enterprises to promote sustainability.

Through her determination, creativity, and compassion, Linda's dream is now a reality, and a living memorial. It was at times a difficult journey: she made eight trips to Tanzania over as many years, alone and leading groups of volunteers, to engage with government officials in the capital Dar Es Salaam as well as residents and caregivers in Songea, and local NGO and government officials from Madaba District. Today, Hope Village includes two orphan residences where dedicated matrons live with the orphans as family; a health care center (including first-in-the-area maternal care, and a pharmacy) and dental clinic that serve 1,600 impoverished villagers each year; a vocational training center offering instruction in masonry, tailoring, and computers so village youth can become self-supporting and contribute to their communities; as well as several agricultural initiatives that further sustainability. Clean water from two deep water wells use solar power to pump water directly into each building.

Her drive to build a better world continued in her "off" time and included leading an active seniors hiking group for many years in the Seattle area and nearby Cascade Mountains. Linda also became a certified steward in the Washington Native Plant Society and strongly supported that organization's efforts to save and nurture native plant species, even turning her yard into a native plant sanctuary. She was named to the Society's honor roll in 2016 for her tireless efforts in support of native plant conservation.

Linda leaves behind a remarkable legacy: in the volunteers and donors who remain committed to carrying forward the mission of lifting up the least among us, and the like-minded souls who continue building connections of hope and love to make this weary world a better and more beautiful place. She especially lives on in the hearts of her family and friends, as well as in every life she lifted up and in every opportunity made possible by her belief in what could be achieved when compassionate and caring people join together.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers please direct donations in her memory to Songeas Kids (https://www.songeaskids.org/ Songea's Kids 3020 Issaquah Pine Lake Rd. SE #539 Sammamish, WA 98075 USA), and/or the Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS https://www.wnps.org/ 6310 NE 74th Street, Suite 215E Seattle, WA 98115, (206) 527 3210).