Linda E. Kreps

Linda Kreps, 86, of Clearwater, FL passed away March 2, 2026. She died peacefully at home after a short illness.

Linda was born in Irvington, NJ September 29, 1939. She was a 3rd generation immigrant who grew up in a multi-generational household. As a child, she was a strong, curious student and a talented, hardworking dancer. Asked to choose between going to college and going on a road show with the Rockettes, Linda attended Newark State Teacher’s College and graduated with a degree in history and education.

Linda married Stanley Kreps June 13, 1961, and worked as a schoolteacher until they started a family in 1967 with their daughter Michele and expanded it in 1969 with their son Steven. Linda was a thoughtful, loving, and attentive stay-at-home mother during all of Steven and Michele’s early childhood. She had a knack for talking to young children as if they were adults all while giving them all the space and grace, they needed to be children.

The family moved to Seminole, FL in 1976. Stanley owned and operated a sporting goods store from 1977 to 1981. Linda stayed home with the children and also completely took care of the books and had a hand in every major business decision.

Linda was proud to help found Beth Chai, a conservative synagogue in Seminole, in 1979. For years she served as the director of educational programs.

In 1981, Linda went back to work, at Honeywell in Clearwater, FL. Coming in through the Manpower temp agency, Linda worked her way up to a thriving career in the procurement department. She loved how this role required her to learn new things - what kinds of materials did the engineers need to build the thing? Who were the contractors who could reliably build this or that particular kind of part? And even sometimes How many pencils, graph paper, and file folders do 5,000 employees go through in a year?

Linda and Stanley moved to the Top of the World retirement complex in 2001, where they made new friends and re-established ties with old friends. Linda loved taking classes - yoga, rhumba, tai chi, silver sneakers - if it was offered, she’d try it. They enjoyed retirement and traveled often.

Later, Linda loved spending time with her grandchildren, Reuben and Sadie. She was especially in her element during their younger years - always down on the floor, playing games with them, making up stories, making up activities, making art. Though it became harder for her to travel in later years, she made it up to Brooklyn for Reuben’s bar mitzvah, where she was the queen of the dance floor.

After a time, Michele took residence close by her parents. There she and her mother enjoyed many happy moments sharing books, movies, cooking and getting out the vote. Their bond was heightened when her parents began watching Calla, Michele’s dog, an animal Linda initially feared but grew to love.

In 2020 a stroke robbed Linda of her physical grace but never stole her wide intellectual scope.

In her final years, Linda moved to assisted living, where she quickly established herself as one of the top-tier social butterflies. Her family knew they could only reach Linda on the telephone right before or after dinner as otherwise she was out in the common areas doing all kinds of activities or recruiting others to do the activities she wanted to do.

Linda is survived by her brother, Howard Furst, her loving children, Michele Melrose and Steven Kreps and his wife, Harlene Katzman, and by her adoring grandchildren, Reuben and Sadie Kreps. Her memory will be a blessing to them all.

Condolences for the family can be left in the guestbook below.

Heritage Funeral Care, David and Steven Gross Directors, Largo Fl are serving the family.