Linda Goff played many parts here on Little Silver’s stage: newsletter and website editor, chairwoman of the Shade Tree Commission, Garden Club member, and a driving force behind the creation of Memorial Park, among others. She was a smart, accomplished lady who loved her garden-like property, her family, and her hometown, which she served so well.

It was therefore just plain awful to learn that the cancer she had been fighting with such optimism had taken her life, lowering the curtain on a wonderful performance as a stalwart town volunteer, employee, and thoughtful participant in democracy.

Linda learned of her diagnosis just a few months ago, but spoke of it with candor and almost a cheerfulness that belied its danger. She was ready to fight it, and – she assured all of us - would be sure not to miss a beat in the preparation and editing of this newsletter, the town’s website, and her critical role in disseminating information and posting to the website during emergencies. Indeed, during the recent water main break on Rumson Place, she instantly posted important information about the boil water advisory, the nature of the event, and where to find water during the partial outage, even as her own home was severely affected.

So when I was late getting her the Mayor’s Message for this newsletter, and didn’t receive her usually polite - but very insistent - email asking whether I thought I could get it done by the weekend, because it really needed to get to the printer, we were all concerned.

Linda passed on August 25, 2016. She was not one for show or circumstance, and there will be no service.

So I would ask everyone in town who might have a spare moment to honor her memory with a small gesture of goodwill to a neighbor who might need a hand, by tending a garden plot or public space that might need some attention (Linda helped create a registered Monarch Waystation and the Garden Club’s plot in Memorial Park, and loved nature), or by spending time with someone battling the nasty disease she fought so bravely.

To Linda’s brother Dan, who lives in town, we offer the borough’s deepest condolences. We also thank you, Dan, for sharing Linda with the many town projects she undertook, whether it be with the Parker Homestead, the Environmental Commission, the Garden Club, or any of the myriad efforts she made for the borough. We will miss her very much.