Linda Ellsworth Mulkey, 61, loving daughter, wife, mother, dog mom, sister, aunt,
and friend, passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer in her
home with her beloved golden retriever Alvin by her side the entire time. Linda
was born on May 31, 1960, in Salt Lake City, UT, to Sara Hall and Elman K.
Ellsworth. Linda graduated from East High School in 1978. Linda had a
successful career in real estate and managed The Salt Lake Running Company
in Foothill Village. She married Thomas L. Mulkey. On June 20, 1989, Linda and
Tom welcomed their beautiful daughter Lauren Elizabeth Mulkey into the world.
Being Lauren’s mother was her greatest honor, and she loved being a mother. It
meant everything in this world to her. Tom and Linda later divorced but remained
good friends, and Linda always spoke about him with the highest admiration
and love. She then met and married her best friend and love of her life Curtis
Wesley Lipke, an avid skier, and dog lover originally from Buffalo, New York.
Linda always said how fortunate she was to have not one but two wonderful,
amazing husbands who meant the world to her.
Linda was always active and loved to run, hike, and bike. However, her biggest
passion was skiing. She was always happiest being on the slopes. She loved
skiing Solitude and Snowbird and could be found there on a regular basis. She
also loved to travel.
Sadly, on March 18, 2007, her beautiful Lauren’s life was cut short due to a car
accident involving another driver texting and driving. Linda then became an
advocate to raise awareness of the dangers of texting and driving. She spoke at
schools and had billboards throughout the valley with Lauren’s photo and the
message “Save a life, hang up before you drive.” She even appeared on the Dr.
Phil show to share Lauren’s story. Then in 2009 Curt was diagnosed with
Pancreatic Cancer, though he never stopped fighting and lived his life to the
fullest. In 2010 Linda was diagnosed with kidney failure. Seeing Curt’s strength
and courage helped her through her journey with kidney failure and later through
her own battle with cancer. On August 3, 2012, Curt lost his courageous battle
with cancer. That following October, Linda received the generous, heartfelt gift of
a kidney from her niece and best friend, Lisa Wilkinson Evans. Linda made a
speedy recovery following the transplant and even gained a sweet tooth and
new love for Diet Coke, which came from Lisa.
Linda experienced so much heartbreak and tragedy in her life, and though it was
her story, she didn’t let it define her. Instead, her strength and courage to keep
fighting through all of it were what truly defined her and made her the
remarkable person she was.
Linda had this superpower of leaving a lasting, remarkable impact on every
person she ever met, even if it was brief. She had the biggest heart of anyone
we’ve ever met. She was kind, caring, compassionate, loving, witty, and one of
the strongest people. She loved entertaining and would pull out all the stops.
Regardless of who you were, she wanted everyone to feel at home when they
were in her house. It’s hard even to describe her amazing generosity, spirit, love,
and laughter.
Linda is survived by her sisters Susan (Skip) Daynes and Patricia DeRose,
Brother In-Law Richard Torney, her nieces and nephews, who she adored
beyond words and had a special relationship with each one, and even their
children and grandchildren, her many wonderful, amazing friends who she loved
and cherished dearly, and of course her beloved golden retriever Alvin. She is
preceded in death by her daughter Lauren Elizabeth Mulkey, husband Curtis
Wesley Lipke, ex-husband Thomas L. Mulkey, her parents Elman and Sara
Ellsworth, her twin sister Laurie Ellsworth Torney, nephew Michael Torney, and
her beloved dogs Gus, Sage, Andy, and Sally.
The family would like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to the entire team of doctors,
nurses, and staff at Huntsman Cancer Institute, the excellent hospice team, her
phenomenal caregivers who remained tirelessly by her side, as well as the
incredible outpour of love from the many, many people who loved and adored
Linda.
The world will never be the same without you, but it is a far better place for
having you in it.
A celebration of life open house will be held on Monday June 20, 2022, from
4:00-8:00 pm at Eggs in The City at 2795 South 2300 East in Millcreek.
In lieu of flowers, Linda’s final wish is that donations be sent to Westminster
College designated for the "Lauren Elizabeth Mulkey Scholarship Fund,"
established in her beautiful daughter's memory to support students with their
educational careers.
Hold your loved ones close and always tell them how much they mean to you,
and please never text and drive!