Linda Nelson Oates, of Belmont, passed away on March 11, 2026, after a brief illness.
Linda was born on April 11, 1943 in Port Chester, New York, and grew up in Rye, New York, daughter of Margaret (Paskol) and Maurice Nelson, and sister to Maggie and Donald, under the influence of her tight-knit maternal Lithuanian immigrant family.
After high school, Linda moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to attend Grace-New Haven nursing school. While studying, she was introduced to a Yale undergraduate student, Daniel Oates, whom she married in 1965.
Over the next 13 years, Linda and Daniel lived in various Boston area locales, then in Bonn, Germany, and later in Fairhaven, New Jersey, during which time she earned her bachelor’s in nursing from Rutgers in 1977.
In 1978, Linda and Daniel moved to Belmont, where they settled and raised two daughters, Katherine and Alexandra. In between the births of her daughters, Linda went back to school, at Boston University, where she earned her master’s in public health in 1983. Linda was a fierce advocate for education, especially for women, as a path to both intellectual fulfillment and financial independence.
Linda had a long career as a nurse in various settings, from operating rooms to occupational therapy, and beyond. She was probably most proud of her work at the Faulkner Headache Center, where she assisted with treatment and clinical research of migraine headaches. She spent the final 10 years of her career as the director of nursing at Fisher College. She adored her colleagues, loved giving flu shots, managed thousands of immunization records, all amidst the general hustle and bustle of student life.
After retirement, she dedicated her time to doting on her grandchildren, Enzo and Fiona, instilling her love of classical music, buying them a keyboard and driving them to their weekly piano lessons, and giving them altogether way too many sweets. She absolutely loved being their “Oma.”
When she wasn’t working as a nurse or enjoying her family, Linda was serving Belmont. She was elected as a Town Meeting member in 1986, and served for 36 years. She was a member of the Warrant Committee from 1997 through 2009, the Traffic Advisory Committee from 1997 through 2002, and the Fire Station Consolidation and Building Committees, which culminated in fire stations on Trapelo Road and Leonard Street. She was also a devoted longtime election worker.
Linda lived for 47 years next to Payson Park, which she considered a town treasure. She was instrumental to tree plantings, supported the Payson Park Music Festival concert series, and most recently worked on the Payson Park renovation. She even coached T-ball in Payson Park in the early 1990s, which she did primarily due to her love of the park and dedication to some 6-year-olds who had no coach, in spite of her stated desire to have nothing to do with sports. Her neighbors from the Payson Park neighborhood became lifelong friends.
Linda spent many summer vacations with her family on Cape Cod.
In addition to her husband Daniel, daughters Katherine and Alexandra, grandson Enzo and granddaughter Fiona, she is survived by her beloved sons-in-law, Enrique Pizana (Katherine) and Matthew Loftin (Alexandra), all of Belmont.
Linda was an animal lover, and had many pets of different origins. In lieu of flowers, her family suggests donations in Linda’s honor to the MSPCA at mspca.org.
Arrangements are under the care of Brown & Hickey Funeral Home, Belmont.