Updated Dec.4 at 7:30 p.m.
By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
There will be a moment of silence in remembrance of Judge Linde at 9 a.m. in his courtroom at the San Juan County Courthouse.
San Juan County’s first Superior Court Judge, the honorable John O. Linde, 62, died while snorkeling in the ocean off the shore of Hawaii at Anaehoomalu Bay Thursday morning.
Police reports say that Judge Linde and his snorkeling partner became separated. The partner returned to shore and Linde’s body was later discovered by a chartered boat about 75 yards off shore.
Linde had been a resident of San Juan Island for 35 years when Governor Christine Gregoire appointed him to the newly created judicial district in January of 2008. He was elected to a full term in office nine months later, winning more than 60 percent of the vote.
At the time he was appointed, Linde had returned to private practice in Friday Harbor after serving more than 20 years as San Juan County District Court Judge.
Governor Gregoire said of Judge Linde, “I‘m pleased to appoint someone to the bench with the depth of professional and personal experience John has.”
He was an active leader in the community, having served on the boards of many community organizations over the years, including the Inter Island Medical Center, San Juan Community Theatre and San Juan Little League, and he was active in the Friday Harbor Athletic Association and the San Juan Golf and Country Club.
He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Carol Linde and adult children Kristen and Brian.
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