MEMORIALS
Memorials
Linda Fleming, Gamma Chapter
Linda Fleming, Gamma Chapter, passed away January 8, 2026, at the age of 88. Linda was born May 4, 1938, in Elkhart, Indiana. After graduating from high school, she took a year off to work before pursuing her college education in Portales, New Mexico, where she majored in education and art. Newly married in 1961, she and her husband moved to Las Vegas, where both began their teaching careers. Linda retired from the Clark County School District after 40 years of teaching elementary students. She was beloved by generations of students who remember her engaging hands-on lessons, her classroom pets – ranging from rats to millipedes – and the beloved tradition of making Stone Soup together. An avid traveler, Linda visited 45 countries, fully immersing herself in each culture – even sampling bugs from street markets. She had a deep respect for all people and cultures and lived her life with openness and curiosity.
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Linda had been a member of DKG for 56 years, joining in April of 1970. She was an active member of Gamma Chapter until she fell ill in late October 2025. She was very generous in monetary contributions to the chapter and internationally. After a visit to Mali, she encouraged our chapter to donate school supplies and money for environmental upgrades to a small village. During her visit, she found that the children could not attend school unless they owned a pencil. She helped organize an International Convention in Las Vegas along with the chapters of Northern California. She would always give a well-meaning, and often humorous, inspiration at our monthly meetings. She has been a chapter Rose of Recognition numerous times. Gamma Chapter will sorely miss her and her quick wit and immense travel knowledge from her 45 country visits.
Linda lived life to the fullest and found joy in every moment. She will be remembered for her kindness, her laughter, and her love of life.
Janet Pederson, XI Chapter
Janet Pederson, Xi Chapter, passed away May 23, 2025, at the age of 90. Born in 1935 in Minot, North Dakota, Jan’s heart was forever tied to the Midwest, with a special affection for Nebraska. She was a lifelong Cornhusker, and a steadfast supporter of the schools in Broken Bow, Nebraska. She maintained close contact with her many friends from her graduating class of 1952.
A proud graduate of San Jose State, she furthered her education with a master’s degree from the University of Nevada. Jan became an inspiring educator to countless students during her 35-year tenure with the Washoe County School District. Jan and her husband, Steve, were residents of Reno for 66 years.
As a dedicated member of Delta Kappa Gamma for 43 years, joining in November 1983, Jan took great joy in Xi Chapter’s charitable endeavors and celebrated their achievements. She also established several scholarships in Reno to support the children she so dearly loved working with.
Jan leaves behind 3 children, 6 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. She will be remembered for her infectious sense of humor and exceptional brilliance and as a devoted teacher, mentor, friend, and loving mother and grandmother. She will be dearly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.
​Sue Wagner, Alpha Chapter
Sue Wagner, an honorary member of Alpha Chapter since November 1977, passed away March 17, 2026. She was 86.
Sue was born in Portland, Maine, January 6, 1940. She moved with her family to Tucson, Arizona in 1950. Sue earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona in 1962; earned a master’s degree in history from Northwestern University in 1963; and began working on her Ph.D. in political science at Ohio State University that same year, while also serving as the assistant dean of women for the university.
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Sue and her husband, Peter, moved to Reno in 1968, after Peter was offered a position as an atmospheric physicist at the Desert Research Institute (DRI). Sue quickly rose through the ranks of Nevada state government: elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1974, serving three terms; elected to the Nevada Senate in 1980, serving for a decade; and then becoming Nevada’s first female elected lieutenant governor in 1990 – capping off a 20-year career in politics. Sue was on the short list as a potential vice-presidential candidate for George W. Bush in 1988 – a reflection of the respect she commanded and the impact she had far beyond Nevada.
In 1980, Sue’s husband was killed in a plane crash, and she was left to raise her two young children, just 9 and 11 years old, on her own. She met this moment as she did everything else - with extraordinary resilience; carrying grief while building a life of stability, discipline, and opportunity for her kids. In 1990, Sue, herself, was in a plane crash near Fallon while campaigning. She won the election and managed to serve out her 4-year term, but the injuries she sustained ended her political career. Sadly, she was widely considered the frontrunner to succeed Governor Miller in 1998.
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Even with all the state and national awards Sue received throughout her career, too numerous to mention here, she said her proudest political achievements were in the policy work she did for the state: creating funding for domestic violence shelters; increasing funding for public and higher education; driving the creation of the Nevada Commission on Ethics; supporting reproductive rights through the 1990 referendum; advancing reforms in prison systems, campaign practices, conservation, and responsible growth; advancing public health measures including newborn genetic screening; championing women in science; and crossing party lines on issues that mattered deeply to her.
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Sue is survived by her son, daughter, and four grandchildren. She will be remembered as a beloved mother, grandmother, trailblazer, and advocate. She will forever be known as one of the most effective and prolific lawmakers in the state’s history, introducing and passing a remarkable body of legislation that shaped Nevada well into the future. She is recognized for her dedication to quality policy over partisanship. Sue once said she hoped to be remembered “as somebody who stood by her principles, who had beliefs and stuck with them, and who represented people who might not have been represented before.” She lived her life defined by courage, conviction, and a resolute commitment to others, standing firm in her beliefs, unwavering in her principles, and favoring compromise over conflict.
