Linda Faye Herring, a Johnson County resident, fostered over 600 children in her time as a foster parent. The Johnson County Board of Supervisors recognized Linda Herring for her work and legacy.
Linda Herring died on Aug. 16 of this year, after five decades of caring for children in the Johnson County area. She was 81.
Linda Herring volunteered as an emergency medical technician for almost 50 years, and ran a day care out of her home, working the night shift as a custodian at a local high school. She began fostering in Oxford, Iowa, with her husband Bob, before moving to Tiffin.
Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan met Linda Herring as she was working as a foster parent. Sullivan, like Herring, was a foster parent for approximately 20 years, fostering about 50 children.
In an interview with The Daily Iowan, Sullivan said the number of kids Linda Herring was able to provide a home for was “unimaginable.”
“The numbers speak for themselves,” he said. “Over 600 foster kids, it’s just a crazy number.”
Sullivan commended Linda Herring for her work as a foster parent, and said she “never said no to anybody.”
“She talked about it all the time, that every kid needed to be loved, and if nobody else would do it, she would do it. And that was just really her attitude, and she lived that every day,” Sullivan said.
At the board’s meeting held on Nov. 13, several of Linda Herring’s adoptive and foster children spoke about her life and impact.
Anthony Herring, the second child Linda Herring adopted when he was three, spoke about his foster mother’s legacy, highlighting the work she did for him and his siblings. He said that Linda Herring allowed him to be a successful adult.
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“The very most basic input that an individual needs is somebody to love them, right? If you don’t have that, nothing else matters,” he said.
He also spoke about his mother’s legacy and how it inspires and impacts him, his siblings, and the Johnson County area.
“Mom left a legacy and an impact, and it just encourages me, and all of us, like ‘How can we help out?’” he said. “That’s a life well lived, when people are trying to carry that flame after you’re gone.”
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors recognized Linda Herring for a second time on Nov. 13 during adoption month. She was initially recognized in 2020, when she announced her decision to stop fostering.
Bob Herring, Linda Herring’s oldest son and a foster parent for 30 years, shared memories of her impact on the children she worked with and the safety she provided them.
“This little girl went running across as soon as she saw my mom, and she was yelling for her,” he said. “It just broke my heart, but she knew that she was going to be safe. She saw a face she was familiar with. That’s what my mom did for a lot of kids.”
Lindsey Phillips, a foster and adoptive parent as well as a director for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program in Muscatine, spoke and thanked the supervisors for their recognition of Linda Herring and her life. She also thanked them for their statements and said it inspired other foster parents to continue their work with children.
“The reality is right now, we still have children out here in the state of Iowa that don’t have those forever homes, and we’re trying to find those,” she said. “Having you guys take the time to make this something and continue to advocate on your behalf is the way that can continue to build off and hopefully not have those children waiting for those forever homes.”
Jon Green, chair of the Board of Supervisors, read off a statement at their meeting from the board highlighting Linda Herring’s work and adoption month. The statement highlighted her philosophies and contributions throughout her life.
“Linda’s [Herring] greatest call was caring for children, welcoming them at any hour, ensuring that they had clothes, comfort, and care, and showing unconditional love to each child who entered her home,” the statement said.