Linda Ann Ciska Priest, 83, of Burlington died Thursday evening June 12, 2025, at the Klein Center of West Burlington.
Born on Nov. 12, 1941, in Albia, at the home of her grandparents Mark and Ollie Dewey, she was the daughter of Leo A. and Barbara J. Dewey Ciska. When she was born, her dad was an electrical welder for the C.B.&Q. Railroad, and her parents lived in a bunk car that traveled all over the railroad tracks.
Linda attended many different schools the first thirteen years of her life until she moved to Burlington and attended Horace Mann Middle School- Burlington High School where she graduated in 1959 and Burlington Junior College graduating in 1961.She went on to Northeast Missouri State Teacher’s College to receive her teaching degree in French and English. After college she spent the summer in France in a foreign exchange teaching program.
Linda taught the first three years in Dewitt, Iowa where every summer would take her French Students to Quebec, Canada. She moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where she met and married Jerry J. Priest. She later received her Master’s degree in Muncie, Indiana, and continued teaching French and English for 30 plus years in the Indiana school system.
Linda’s hobbies included needlepoint, knitting, bowling, reading and was a member of the Quilting Bee’s at her church. She would take her nieces and nephew every summer for two weeks and do fun things.
She is survived by her sisters: Barbara Ciska McCollum and Sandra Ciska Klesner, also three nieces, Bobbie Cobb, Kimberly Taeger, and Kelli MacGregor and one nephew, Chad McCollum; eight great and five great-great nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Leo and Barbara Ciska, her husband Jerry J. Priest, and brother-in-law Jerry McCollum.
According to Linda’s wishes she has been cremated and inurnment with a graveside service will be held at a later date in Washington Park East Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana beside her husband.