Ilse Linkletter

Ilse Linkletter, age 87, Southington entered into eternal life peacefully on October 6th at her home after a long illness. Ilse was born on May 9, 1934 in Lussdorf, Germany to the late Franz and Antoine Zorn and spent her early childhood on her family’s farm in Sudetenland. During the war, Ilse and her mother were relocated to Blankenburg, Germany. Ilse graduated from the “Institution of English Ladies” in Augsburg Germany in 1951. While in Augsburg, she met and married an American Service man, Orville Wight and came to the United States where both of her children, Sigmund and Susan were born. On July 20, 1979, Ilse married John Linkletter, the love of her life, and they spent the next 24 years traveling the globe, dancing, golfing, spending time in Florida and enjoying all that life has to offer.

Ilse loved spending time her with family, especially her grandchildren and great- grandchildren, teaching them small sayings and songs in German and playing numerous card and board games with them. The other very important part of Ilse’s life was her 2nd family, the many friends and parishioners at the Plantsville Congregational Church where she spent a great deal of time volunteering in the many charitable events for the community. Ilse also had a great love of nature, particularly all of the birds of New England as well as a passion for gardening. She took great pride in knowing the names of every flower and passed her love of gardening on to her family and friends.

Ilse was predeceased by her husband John Linkletter and his son Jonathan Linkletter and is survived by her two children, Sigmund Wight and his wife Claire of Bristol, CT, Susan Piatek-Revoir and her husband Leonard of Southington, CT, and John’s children, Karen Frazier of Fairfax, VA and Jill Thayer of Bristol, CT. She is also survived by 5 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Donations is Ilse's memory may be made to Plantsville Congregational Church, 109 Church St, Plantsville, CT 06479 or to American Cancer Society, https://donate3.cancer.org.

Please join us in celebrating Ilse’s life at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, October 14th, 2021, at the Plantsville Congregational Church, 109 Church St, Plantsville, CT. Plantsville Funeral Home has been entrusted with handling the arrangements. For online condolences and directions, please visit www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com.