Linda Loos Scarth

LINDA LOOS SCARTH

Cedar Rapids

Linda Loos Scarth, 76, died July 3, 2017, at Hospice of Mercy, Hiawatha, Iowa, of mesothelioma. Daughter of Clinton George Loos and Helen Vaitonis Loos of Colby, Wis., she was born April 19, 1941.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Robert Douglas Scarth; daughter, Jennifer Short (Dr. Daniel Short); grandchildren, Ethan (Mclaine) Short, Benjamin Short, and Eliana Short; and sister, Jane Ellen Loos.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and a sister, Constance (Jerome) Fischer.

Linda received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (home economics) and master's degrees from Pennsylvania State University (child development and family relations), the University of Georgia (Ed.D.-Doctorate early childhood education), and the University of Iowa (M.A.-Masters library and information science). Her unusually wide range of careers speaks to her equally wide range of interests: assistant professor of education, Brenau College, Gainesville, Ga.; assistant professor of family and child development, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.; child development specialist, educational consultant and assistant professor of pediatrics, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo.; school counselor, New England Girls School, Armidale, New South Wales; and, most recently, reference librarian, Mount Mercy College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

A strong commitment to conservation and an abiding appreciation of beauty led Linda and Robert to photography as a means of highlighting and preserving the natural world. They traveled widely, photographing in Australia, Africa, the Falkland Islands and South America, focusing most closely on nature's smallest inhabitants in exquisite detail. They also photographed animals, birds, landforms and other lovely and interesting subjects. In 2009, they published the book "Deep Nature: Photographs from Iowa," a celebration of the flora and fauna of their Iowa community; its epigraph, Walt Whitman's "every leaf is a miracle," captures the essence of Linda's outlook on life. She generously shared her love of nature by giving many presentations on ecology and photography across the Midwest. From January through May 2018, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art will host an exhibition of Robert and Linda's photographs. Linda had skill, grace and dedication in abundance and the energy and persistence to transform these qualities into tangible contributions; she brought a thoughtful passion to everything she said and did.

A memorial gathering will be scheduled at a later date.

Donations in her honor may be made to Iowa Native Plant Society, Cedar Rapids Audubon Society, Iowa City Bird Club, Althea R. Sherman Chimney Swifts' Tower Project or Prairie States Mushroom Club.

The family wishes to thank the staff at the Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha for their outstanding and compassionate care.