Gallant, Linda J. A genuinely sincere and caring person in both her career and her personal life, died unexpectedly on June 13. It was just one week after celebrating her 75th birthday with many friends in her backyard, a place that she loved. Linda died at home only 4 months after being diagnosed with lymphoma. Her sudden death was not anticipated by her caring physicians at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, nor by her immediate family or her many friends. Linda was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, the daughter of George and Frances Gallant. She was raised in Malden, Massachusetts, with her older sister and two younger brothers. After graduating from Malden High School, Linda attended Brown University (then Pembroke College) in Providence, Rhode Island. It was at Brown that Linda first became especially interested in civil rights and other social justice issues. As part of her coursework at Brown, Linda spent a semester in Tougaloo, Mississippi, teaching young, predominantly African American children. After graduating from Brown in 1968, Linda moved to Minneapolis, where she taught at City, Inc., in North Minneapolis. In 1973, after the American Indian Movement occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, Linda volunteered to do legal support work on the criminal cases arising from the occupation. In 1974, Linda enrolled at William Mitchell College of Law, where, in 1977, she earned her JD (law) degree. While in law school, Linda worked as a law clerk for Legal Rights Center, Inc., a non-profit corporation providing criminal defense services to primarily the African American and American Indian populations in south Minneapolis. In 1977, Linda opened her own law practice in Minneapolis, serving largely poor or working class clients. Her areas of practice included family law, housing law, personal injury and criminal defense. While in private practice, Linda remained active in social justice issues, volunteering to represent tenants on rent strike for better housing conditions as well as peace and justice activists arrested at the Honeywell Corporation's headquarters in Minneapolis, protesting the corporation's role in manufacturing "cluster bombs." In 1986, Linda left private practice to join the faculty at William Mitchell College of Law as a clinical professor, supervising students who had been certified to represent clients in court. Linda remained a clinical professor at William Mitchell and in New York City for the next three years. In 1993, the judges of Hennepin County District Court hired Linda to serve as a Referee. Linda was proud to have been sworn in by her mentor, Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Wahl. Linda was employed as a Hennepin County District Court Referee until her retirement in 2012, hearing cases in juvenile, housing, and family court. Though not active in sports while growing up, in her retirement Linda became an active adventurer, hiker, bicyclist, canoeist, and kayaker. She epitomized the intrepid traveler. She traveled the world: China, (biking), Mongolia, Russia, Cambodia, France, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Machu Picchu, (hiking), Cuba, (biking), Vietnam, Croatia (biking), Jordan (biking to Petra), Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, and her favorite, Italy. Her travels included hiking the arduous Great Wall of China with her nephew Brian, as well as biking Prince Edward Island in search of Gallant ancestors. Linda loved us all, family and friends. Her very existence was that of love for all people. Linda is survived by her sister, Leslie Crowe (John), and her brothers Edward (Lorraine), and George (Anne). She leaves one dear Aunt, Dottie Gibbons, seven nephews, Michael, Brian and Kevin Crowe, Christopher, Matt and Josh Gallant, Joe Gallant and one niece, Jessica Louie. She also leaves behind three grand nieces, Amelie Crowe, Mary Kasumi Crowe and Vanessa Louie, and two grand nephews, Matthew Crowe and Joseph Louie. A celebration of her life will be held at a date yet to be set.

Published on June 27, 2021