Obituary: Linda Lasday

Linda Lasday, 74, of Longboat Key, died July 24.

Born Oct. 21, 1939, in Pittsburgh, Mrs. Lasday graduated from the Ellis School, in Pittsburgh, and Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, N.Y., and studied art history for a year in Florence, Italy.

After returning to New York, Mrs. Lasday served as art director at NBC. She created advertising materials that appeared in major market newspapers, along with TV commercials promoting network documentaries and special feature programming.

Mrs. Lasday returned to Pittsburgh for post-graduate studies in art history and worked in public broadcasting at PBS WQED-TV. There, she caught the attention of children’s TV host Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers, who used her artwork in his printed teaching materials. In Pittsburgh, Mrs. Lasday taught art part-time at Shady Side Academy Junior High School.

Mrs. Lasday was a recognized watercolorist of the equestrian scene. One of her pieces, which won an award at a Longboat Key Center for the Arts, a Division of Ringling College of Art and Design, juried exhibition, caught the eye of a national PBS art critic, who wrote: “The painting that really stands out is (Linda Lasday’s) ‘Trotters.’ ... The first impression I get looking at this is that Toulouse-Lautrec might have painted it as a poster for the Moulin Rouge. … This picture alone is worth a visit to the exhibition!”

Mrs. Lasday loved dark chocolate, escargot, couponing, “Star Trek,” poolside chit-chats, Shih Tzu pups, cruising, bright, casual fashions, science fiction and, most of all, Sunday family dinner outings.

Mrs. Lasday is survived by her husband of 50 years, Louis; son, Stephen Lasday; brother, William Berger; and two grandsons.

A service was held July 27. Memorial donations can be made to Temple Sinai Artistic Fund, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34231; or Sarah Lawrence College Scholarship Fund.