Feb. 17, 1959 - Sep. 26, 2025
Date of Service: Oct. 21, 2025
BURLEY – Linda Lee Muir, a 66-year-old resident of Burley, passed away Friday, September 26, 2025, at Highland Estates in Burley.
Linda Lee Smith was born on February 17, 1959, on the Naval base in Newport News, Virginia, to Chief Petty Officer John Franklin Smith and June Marie (Arcand) Smith.
When Linda was five years old, the family moved to La Puente, California. She graduated from Parker High School in Parker, Arizona, when it was known as Northern Yuma County Union High School. In Parker, she met Kenneth Mounts and they moved to Sandy Valley, Nevada, outside of Las Vegas where they were blessed with the birth of two sons, Dani and Kevin. They lived there for three years before moving to Salome, Arizona.
In Salome, Linda worked at the International Inn as a waitress and bartender. During this time she separated from Kenneth and met her future husband, Val Dee Muir. She, Val, and the kids spent a year in Quartzite, Arizona, and moved to Deer Lodge, Montana for a brief time before landing in Baker City, Oregon. They lived in Baker City for five years where Linda worked as a waitress at the Baker City Truck Corral. Her next move was to Summerville, Oregon, where she loved working on her farm with her horses. Three years later she returned to Arizona where she lived in Golden Valley, Bullhead City, and then in Salome after Val’s death in 2017. Tired of living off-grid, she eventually made her way to Rupert, Idaho, where she reconnected with the roots of her childhood faith and was a member of St. Nicholas Catholic Parish.
Linda loved horses, dogs, and all things country and western, especially the rodeo! She had fond memories of her days of ranch life in Oregon and Golden Valley. Her home was wall-papered with beloved photos of Val, her animals and her favorite cowboy, Stetson Wright! Her Chihuahua, Precious, was her best friend in her final years.
Linda was preceded in death by her husband, Val; her parents; and eldest sister, Margaret “Peggy” Gaylord. She is survived by her elder sister, Jackie Weldon; younger brother, John Smith, Jr; and her two children, Dani Mounts (eldest) and Kevin Mounts (youngest).
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 21, at St. Nicholas Catholic Church, located at 802 F Street, in Rupert, with the Rev. Fr. Camilo Garcia as celebrant. Recitation of the Holy Rosary will begin at 10:30 a.m. Urn placement will follow at Paul Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements have been placed in the care of Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home of Burley.