Linda Mazur and her late husband, Elliott, built a life defined by curiosity, generosity, and a deep love for the Pasadena community. Linda grew up in Burbank and later earned a history degree from UCLA. Elliott was born and raised in Detroit, studied philosophy at the University of Michigan, and eventually made his way west—drawn, as Linda says, to sunshine and possibility.
Both forged unconventional professional paths. Graduating during the second wave of the women’s movement, Linda knew she didn’t want a traditional “women’s career,” so she became an entrepreneur, building a series of independent sales businesses. At 55, she made a joyful career shift, teaching ESL to immigrant adults through Los Angeles’s Adult Education Program. “I loved it,” she says. “It’s never too late to change careers.” Elliott, meanwhile, happily spent his life as a housepainter, relishing the chance to work outdoors while pursuing passions that ranged from birding and rare cacti to astronomy, physics, and volunteering as a docent in the Huntington’s Desert Garden.
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