Linda Beth "Lin" Stephan

Lin Stephan, 83, of Hamden, NY, passed away early in the morning of Thursday, February 12 2026, at the Delhi Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.

Linda Beth “Lin” was born on September 9, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to William and Mary Stephan. An only child, she grew up in Feasterville, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her parents encouraged and supported her love of horses and she spent many hours riding, showing, and competing as a teenager.

Upon graduation from high school, Lin attended the Philadelphia College of Art. A skilled artist, she hoped to make a career as an illustrator and headed for NYC with her degree and portfolio. Discovering that she didn’t have the necessary personality to be successful in that very competitive environment, Lin returned to Pennsylvania and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Penn State. She then enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Fordham University in NYC. Lin also became deeply involved in the women’s movement and the gay liberation movement and made lifelong friends.

Lin had visited Delaware County, staying with friends at a house at the top of Dingle Hill in Andes, and she loved the area. In 1973 she bought a decommissioned one room schoolhouse on Hamden Hill with the proceeds from a bad motorcycle accident. She and her dad worked to make it habitable, and her dear friend Lucy Liben was an integral part of making the property home, planting trees and starting a vegetable garden. Lin left NYC and made Hamden her fulltime residence in 1976. She took various jobs to make ends meet, including delivering the County Shopper and managing the Country Store in Delhi. Additions to the house and property were made over the years and the schoolhouse was her home until she entered the Delhi Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in January of 2025.

Lin taught psychology as an adjunct at SUNY Delhi, and then fulltime at Hartwick College in Oneonta for several years. She was a gifted teacher. Lin completed her dissertation during this time, earning her Ph.D., and became a licensed psychologist on the staff of Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. She spent a number of years there before entering private practice in Walton. For a time, she ran a horse transporting business on the side.

Lin was an avid gardener and birder. She was an accomplished photographer and a diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan. She spent summer evenings sitting outside listening to Phillies baseball games on the radio. Lin loved animals, and had many dogs, cats, and birds over the course of her life. In her 30’s she was able to renew her interest in things equestrian, acquiring first a pony and then several horses. She drove the pony and its offspring on the hill and in competition at the Delaware County Fair for many years. She taught her daughter Shelly to ride and drive. Lin enjoyed trail riding with her equestrian friends. She spent a lot of time at Windswept Acres, Carol and Kevin Gutliph’s horse breeding and training center.

Lin always preferred to be outside and many walks were taken in the hills around her home with her friend Nancy, always accompanied by a beloved dog, of whom there were many, starting with Chris and including Jessie, Pepper, CoCo, Supergirl, and Tyler. Her greatest joy in the last decade or so was her daily expedition to the dog park in Walton, an informal group of people and their dogs who met every afternoon to walk and talk and enjoy their dogs. A special friend was Jodi Jamieson, who took Tyler in when Lin had to give him up, and who visited Lin faithfully every week and brought her to the dog group when the weather permitted.

Lin was predeceased by her parents and her longtime friends Nick and Leslie Albaugh of Hamden. She is survived by her daughter Michelle Brandow of Arizona, her dog Tyler, her cat Willie, her friends from the dog park, and her friends from the Saturday morning Bridge Group meeting. She is also survived by her longtime friends and neighbors Nancy Macdonald and Lesley Deleski.

A memorial service will be held in the spring.

Lin will be missed.