She was a woman who touched lives across the globe, yet Linda Seger retained that hometown appeal. Enriched by her role as neighbor and friend in the Ute Pass community, Seger led multiple lives but drew sustenance and spiritual renewal in her cabin in Cascade.

Seger, 81, died Feb. 16, nearly a week after learning that her cancer was incurable and she had only weeks, maybe days, to live.  

“I always admired Linda’s indomitable spirit. After ‘retirement’ she threw herself into her passions of horseback riding and piano, along with writing books,” said Ann Benson, who with her husband Chuck, was a neighbor. “Even with considerable health obstacles she kept going and never gave up. She’s a great role model for me and others to follow our passions and dreams, no matter our age or challenges.”

Seger celebrated her 80^th birthday in August by being part of a quartet piano concert in Packard Hall at Colorado College. Nine days before her death, she performed a piano duet at the Broadmoor.  According to her husband, Peter Le Var, that final concert was enough.

’I’ve accomplished all my goals,’” she said.

A woman difficult to pinhole in a slot, Seger drew fame as a script consultant for Hollywood movies; an article in the Hollywood Reporter, written after her death, lists a few of the films: “Pasttime” (1990) and “Picture Bride” (1995), winners of audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival.  Among her clients were Peter Jackson, Ray Bradbury and Ron Howard. 

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, Seger took medication that halted the disease but eight years later the cancer resurfaced and went to her bones and liver, Le Var said.

Steeped in grief, Le Var nonetheless is energized at times by thoughts of his life with Seger.

“This was her dream home,” he said, sitting near the warmth of the fireplace in the cabin.  

Bound by their Quaker faith, the two relied on their beliefs to pursue separate careers, she as consultant, he as a massage therapist and acupuncturist with his own list of star clients.

“One of the tenets of Quakerism is that ‘you pursue your calling and I will pursue mine,’” he said. “We never had an argument, never had a martial spat. We talked it out.”

From the beginning, Seger paved the way for other women in the film business.

“She was very much into networking, as the Quaker belief in equality,” said Cathleen Loeser, speaking from her home in California. “When she entered the field, she had a difficult time establishing her reputation but through persistence and talent she made a name for herself and opened the door for other women to enter the field.”

 While script consulting made her famous and piano broadened her reach, Seger was a prize-winning equestrienne, professor at Colorado College and author of 19 books.  

“She was never ashamed to ask for help,” Le Var said. “She made the world a better place. People were better after interacting with her. She did everything with a smile.”

Along the way, she earned a doctorate in theology.

Heidi Bailey, who lives in Green Mountain Falls, worked with Seger for four years as a creative assistant.  

“From her days as a Hollywood script consultant to her recent memoir, ‘Unpacking,’ Linda encourages us to embrace the hero’s journey in our own stories by building new worlds, deepening emotional moments, raising the stakes, and expanding the narrative of our lives,” Bailey said. “Linda never stopped creating art, never retired from living. Her story arc will stay in motion long into the future as her legacy continues to inspire.”

A memorial service for Seger is at 1 p.m. April 25 at Church in the Wildwood in Green Mountain Falls.