Linda Lu Delaney (Cave), 68, passed away on Aug. 12, 2026, in Olathe, Kansas, following a brave battle against cancer. Born on August 25, 1957, as the proud daughter of Jack and Lucille Cave, she was raised in Hazel Crest, Illinois.

She is survived by sons Brian and Lance Delaney, and granddaughter Hazel. She instilled in her sons the principles of hard work, determination, self-sufficiency, financial responsibility, and the importance of getting a college degree. She was highly creative and artistic and passed that skill on to her sons, along with her sense of humor.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents. She was a storyteller and kept the memory of her parents and family alive with many vivid stories from her childhood. She shared a love of music with her dad, and still kept a zebra-patterned record album box of her 45s. She went on many road trips across the country with her parents as a child, and her dad often insisted on 3 a.m. departures to beat the traffic.

Linda served as a Cub Scout leader and even sewed the official den flag for her scouts, known as the Lightning Patrol. She also led hiking excursions and other outdoor activities. Enjoying an active lifestyle, many miles of family bike rides were enjoyed together.

Having raised two sons, she thoroughly enjoyed the vast difference of having a granddaughter, and the room was now filled with dancing, singing, twirling, rainbows, and glittery crafts. They enjoyed doing puzzles, reading books, and coloring together.

Linda loved her early childhood friends Micky, Annie, and Esther, and enjoyed reconnecting with them over the years. In 2025, she hosted a 50th Hill Crest High School reunion sleepover at her house with her same core group of what her dad referred to as “knuckleheads.” She cherished her bond with her cousin Donna and friendships with her close friends and neighbors.

Linda attended Northern Illinois University and the Illinois Institute of Technology; she had a strong interest in architecture, furniture design, and landscaping. One of her favorite projects was the blueprint she drafted and saw come to life for her home in Homer Glen, Illinois.

Part of her garage served as her woodworking studio, where she built many pieces of furniture, and most recently built cabinets and shelves as she was finalizing her own remodeling of her kitchen. Some of her last words to her sons were detailed instructions on how to finish the tile backsplash in her kitchen she was working on. Her drafting table was an active scene up until the end with multiple pending projects, drawn on graph paper in a neat stack, accompanied by pencils, rulers, triangles, and a protractor.

Several of her paintings hung inside her home, including one she made of her beloved late dog Moosie, who was her trusted companion. In addition to artistry, she was very passionate about transforming her yard into lush gardens of flowers.

Having left the Chicago area nearly 20 years ago for a new adventure in Kansas, her fondness for pizza and other regional delicacies was kept alive by her food-loving sons, who would often import items to her from their own travels. Her last meal enjoyed at home was a burnt-ends sandwich from Slap’s BBQ, serving as a fond farewell to Kansas City.

Linda worked for over 10 years in the emergency department at Olathe Medical Center. She was incredibly proud of her work there, triaging patients as they came into the ER. She won numerous awards for her service, one of which was for her keen awareness in spotting patients showing indications of strokes or heart attacks.

Memorial services are private. Linda’s family suggests donations to support the Olathe Health Emergency Department in honor of her proud service to the hospital.

Donations can be made payable to “Olathe Health Charitable Foundation” and mailed to Fund Development, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, MS 1058, Kansas City, KS 66160, or visit https://give.gofundme.com/Give-Olathe. 

For online donations, donors would select “Other” for the fund designation, then type in “Olathe Health Emergency Department” in the designation box.