Linda Littenberg Terry passed away with loved ones by her side at the Hospice of the Fisher Home, on Oct. 28, 2022. Linda was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1942, to doting parents, Cyrus and Mary Littenberg. Linda’s tremendous love for her family and deep sense of social justice guided her throughout her life.

            She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1963. That same year, she married Stuart Terry (div. 1976). After a brief time in Ithaca, NY, they settled in Longmeadow, Mass. They had two children, Marc and Robin.

Linda first lived in Amherst, MA, from 1976-1985, where she raised her children and worked at the Springfield College Counseling Center, in Springfield. MA.

With much determination and hard work, Linda earned a doctorate in marriage and family therapy from UMass Amherst, at the age of 43. She and her family moved to Hamden, CT, in 1985, when Linda became director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Fairfield University, in Connecticut. In 1990, she moved to the West Coast for her dream job at San Diego State University (SDSU), where she developed a master’s program in marriage and family therapy with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion and providing mental health services to  underserved communities. In 1996, Linda married DeWayne Guyer (div. 2002).

After retiring from SDSU in 2007, Linda moved back to Amherst—the place she had always felt most at home. For several years, she served as director of the Family Therapy Training Clinic at Central Connecticut State University’s (CCSU) Klingberg Family Centers, where her work was grounded in social justice training and practice. Linda also held many professional leadership positions throughout her career, including serving on the board of directors for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

After her second retirement, from CCSU, Linda served on the board of directors for the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Mass., was a member of the Jewish Community of Amherst (JCA) Reproductive Rights and Justice Committee, and helped found Amherst Neighbors, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting older adults to age well in their community.

Throughout her life, Linda’s travels took her all over Europe, with a special love for Paris and the French language. In more recent years, she also traveled to China and Israel. She loved to cook and had an artist’s eye for design, which she poured into ambitious home renovation projects in her retirement.

Everyone who knew Linda admired her boundless energy and intelligence, her deep commitment to social justice, and her love for her friends and family.

She is survived by her two children and their spouses: Marc Terry (Tracy), Robin Terry Brown (William Brown); her two grandchildren, Matthew and Cate Terry; and her many beloved cousins and friends. Linda spent her life trying to make the world a better place, and she will be dearly missed.

A funeral will be held on Friday, Nov. 4, at 10am, at the Jewish Community of Amherst (JCA), 742 Main St, Amherst, MA, with burial to follow at the JCA Cemetery, in Shutesbury.

Donations in Linda’s memory can be made to Amherst Neighbors, www.amherstneighbors.org, 413-345-2555, amherstneighbors01002@gmail.com.

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com