Linda Wylie

Linda Mae Gulick Wylie, 81, passed away peacefully on October 14, 2025, surrounded by her family.

Linda was born on October 5, 1944, in Stockton, California, the youngest of five children of Albert Dorman Gulick and Lula Ellen Bishop. She grew up a country girl, caring for chickens and developing a lifelong affection for cats. Though she had four siblings, she was raised mostly as an only child - her closest sister, Alberta, was 15 years older.

When Linda was three, her father passed away from pneumonia at age 60. Not long after, their home burned down, and Linda and her mother moved into a small house built for them by her brother Melvin. The house had no indoor plumbing until Melvin installed it when Linda was about seven years old.

At age 17, Linda lost her mother to breast cancer. She then went to live with her widowed sister Alberta, who was raising four young children. Alberta's strong Christian faith left a lasting impression on Linda, and the two became the closest of friends.

In 1963, Linda graduated from Ceres High School in Ceres, California. Shortly after, she began her first job as a long-distance telephone switchboard  operator for PacBell. She later joked that the best part of the job was when all eight of her lines were busy - it was like winning a game every operator wanted to beat.

In February 1967, Linda met Eugene Victor Brochier by chance after moving into a new apartment. She gathered her courage one day to knock on his door and "borrow a cup of sugar," though she later admitted she didn't really need any. Five months later, on July 22, 1967, they married in Carson City, Nevada. Linda made her own wedding dress of white lace over satin. Together, they had two daughters, Stephanie and Julie.

After Eugene's sudden passing in 1980, Linda leaned on her faith and family, following the example of her sister Alberta. She reentered the workforce and became a medical receptionist for an ophthalmology office-work she loved for its connection to people.

From 1986 to 2003, Linda worked as a Radiology Secretary at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, California. One patient wrote to the hospital: "What a pleasant, thoughtful, empathetic, and efficient person! She made a very stressful situation quite bearable." Linda's kindness and empathy touched everyone she met.

Linda met Robert "Bob" Allen Wylie through a mutual friend, Carol Babcock, at a Presbyterian singles group in Lafayette. Their relationship rekindled her love for life-and for cooking-much to the delight of her daughters, who were growing tired of TV dinners. Linda believed "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Her home-cooked meals always included a salad, vegetable, and something warm and hearty. She was an expert pie maker and loved to make jams from the apples, plums, and apricots that grew in her yard or over the neighbor's fence that were gifted to her.

Linda and Bob married on May 15, 1982, in Pleasant Hill, California, and shared 43 wonderful years together. They enjoyed road trips along the California coast, visits to national parks, and adventures in Canada. Their marriage was a source of mutual joy and healing. In later years, Bob lovingly took over cooking, and with Bob there is never a shortage of fresh, cut-up fruit.

Linda loved being outside in her garden, sewing, quilting, crocheting, baking, and decorating her home. She found joy in giving -- sending cards, sharing baked goods, or offering gifts just to brighten someone's day. She was equally gracious in receiving; every gift meant something to her.

She and Bob attended Grace Community Bible Church for several years until 2020 where she enjoyed kindness and friendships.

Above all, Linda's most cherished roles were as a wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She loved deeply and unconditionally, and would want everyone who knew her to know how much she loved and appreciated them.

Linda is survived by her husband, Robert Wylie; sisters-in-law Annette and Lorraine; daughters Stephanie (Steve) and Julie; grandchildren Justin (Brooke), Jared (Natalia), Jordan (Kailee), and Sarah; and great-grandchildren Jack, Oliver, and Liam.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dorman and Lula Gulick; siblings Viola, Eugene, Melvin, and Alberta; sisters-in-law Adrienne and Marilyn; and her first husband, Eugene Brochier.

A viewing will be held on Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 South Redwood Road, Taylorsville, Utah. Following the viewing, interment will take place at 2:00 p.m. at West Jordan City Cemetery, 7925 South 1300 West, West Jordan, Utah.