Linda J. Coler, a retired longtime Kenyon custodian, died on August 10 at the age of 75. A resident of Mount Vernon, she worked at the College from 1986 to 2010, retiring after more than 24 years of service.
Born in Mount Vernon to Samuel and Ada (Wagstaff) Sentel, Coler was a 1965 graduate of Mount Vernon High School. She is survived by her husband of 50 years John Coler; niece and nephew, Terri and Jason Starr; great nieces and nephews, Johanna (Jon) Slomovitz, Luke (Heidi) Donaldson, Jaime (Johnathon) Hakes and five great great nieces and nephews.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by an infant son and a brother, Edwin “Butch” Sentel.
During her time at Kenyon, Coler provided custodial services in academic buildings for a number of years before transferring to South Campus residence halls where she enjoyed interacting with and getting to know students.
“As a custodian, it’s the relationships that you build with the students that keep you working at Kenyon,” retired Assistant Manager of Custodial Services Lori Moore H’23 said. “Linda had a heart of gold and loved the students. She was a really nice person and a lot of fun to work with. We shared a lot of laughs.”
Coler enjoyed reading, working on crossword puzzles, traveling and playing slots at the casino.
The family will observe a private service at a later date. Memorial contributions in Coler’s name may be made to your local animal shelter.