Obituary: Linda Kelliher Samets, 1946-2025

Linda Kelliher Samets of Charlotte, Vt., and New York City passed away peacefully in Lincoln, Mass., on December 9, 2025, following complications from recent surgery. A beloved wife, mother, sister, artist, horsewoman and friend, she was 79.

Linda was born on March 8, 1946, in Lowell, Mass. The fifth of nine children, she attended Concord-Carlisle High School, where her artistic gifts emerged. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), which nurtured her creativity and helped set the course for her career and life. After college, Linda worked at an advertising agency in Boston before moving into a graphic design role at WGBH.

After moving to Vermont, Linda opened a one-room design studio in Burlington. At the time, she had been turned away from local agencies that told her that her work was too unconventional. But Linda knew better. She trusted her instincts. And so, she created her own place, her own path and, eventually, her own company.

Over the decades that followed, Linda, together with her partner in life and business, Yoram, transformed her small design firm into Kelliher Samets Volk (now KSV), a nationally recognized marketing agency with offices in New York and Burlington. Her creativity, intuition, professionalism and humanity influenced generations of designers, writers and strategists.

Beyond her work at KSV, Linda was dedicated to numerous community organizations in Vermont, including Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, Special Olympics, Burlington City Arts and the Gailer School.

Linda had a deep love for animals and often said she preferred their company over that of most people. While she always had dogs and cats at her Charlotte home, her greatest passion was for horses. For many years, she owned and operated Windrunner Farm, a 30-horse barn in Shelburne, and she continued riding four or five days a week well into her seventies. For Linda, riding served as both a grounding influence and a source of joy.

After retiring from KSV, Linda’s life revolved around her family, horses and her home in Charlotte, where she lived for over four decades. Though she described her daily routine in retirement as “puttering,” in reality it was action-packed: She walked three miles a day (tracked carefully), painted in her home studio, cooked dinner for herself and Yoram every night, and enjoyed cards, dominoes and any TV show with enough horses in it. On Friday evenings, she and Yoram brought Shabbat into their home, lighting candles and saying prayers, finding purpose in something bigger than themselves.

In addition to her husband, Yoram, Linda is survived by her daughter, Alex Samets, of Baltimore, Md., and her son, Theo Samets, of Los Angeles. She took great joy in seeing her children become the adults they are today. In recent months, she looked forward to becoming a grandmother and spending more time in Baltimore.

She is also survived by her sisters Mardie Luppold of Shirley, Mass., and Leslie Luppold of Concord, Mass.; her brothers David (Christine) Luppold of Concord, Mass., Jonathan (Denise) Luppold of Maynard, Mass., and Jay (Deborah) Luppold of Concord, N.H.; her brother-in-law, Robert Marquis of Concord, Mass.; her sister-in-law Carole Smith of Portland, Ore.; and many beloved nieces and nephews. Linda was predeceased by her sisters Priscilla Marquis and Deborah Luppold and by her brother Richard Luppold.

Family and friends are invited to gather in celebration of Linda’s life on Sunday, January 18, 2026, 1 p.m., followed by lunch at 2 p.m., at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, 188 N. Prospect St., Burlington, VT.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Linda’s memory may be made to Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, a community she valued deeply, or to the Graham Equestrian Center.

To share a memory or to offer a condolence on Linda’s tribute page, please visit deefuneralhome.com.

This article appears in The Reading Issue 2025.