Lynda Gayl Rutherford
December 11, 1950 - January 13, 2025
Born in Fresno, California in 1950 to Abraham Toros (“Jerry”) and Alma Jean (“Jeannie”) Apidgian, Lynda was the eldest of three siblings. Alongside her brother Michael and sister Cynthia, Lynda grew up in a home filled with love, warmth, and laughter. Her roots were deep in faith, family and friends, values that would shape her remarkable life.
In the mid-1960s, a teenage Lynda walked across the courtyard of the First Baptist Church of Downey, unknowingly altering the course of one young boy’s life. Gary Rutherford, then an awkward eighth grader, couldn’t take his eyes off her. Years later, during their college years as counselors at Hume Lake, Gary mustered the courage to ask Lynda out. They married within a year, beginning a partnership marked by deep love and unwavering devotion that would span five decades.
Lynda graduated from Whittier College, channeling her passion for helping others into a career as a public school speech and language pathologist in Downey and later in Huntington Beach. Over the years, she transformed countless lives, giving children the gifts of communication and confidence.
In 1977, Lynda and Gary welcomed their first daughter, Lyndsy Brooke, followed by their second daughter, Bryanne Lyn, in 1983. Lynda embraced motherhood with unparalleled grace, pouring her heart into raising her girls with the same steadfast love and faith that she had been given. She didn’t just raise two daughters; she built a legacy of kindness, strength, and compassion that lives on through them.
Lynda was more than a devoted wife, mother, and professional. She had a remarkable ability to bring warmth and light into every room she entered. Her humor, beautiful smile, hospitality, and wisdom were a gift to all who knew her. Whether it was spending time with her family, supporting her daughters’ dreams, or nurturing her faith, Lynda did it all with unmatched joy and purpose. Her vibrant spirit touched every corner of her world.
Lynda spent her final day as she had lived—surrounded by love. In the arms of Gary, Lyndsy, and Bryanne, she drew her final breaths, leaving behind a legacy of devotion, service, and grace.
She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Gary Rutherford; her daughters, Lyndsy (Christian) Rodgers and Bryanne (Byron) Livingston; her siblings, Michael and Cynthia; and her cherished grandchildren, Solomon Abraham Toros, Miriam Jean Posey, Christian Anthony Garrett, and Shyloe Helyn Hope Rodgers, and Brody Seth (Rutherford-Livingston), Evan and Adam Livingston. She is preceded in death by her parents, Jerry and Jeannie, whose values shaped the incredible woman she became.
Lynda will be remembered as a woman of faith, family, and boundless love. She leaves a profound void but an even greater gift: the example of a life lived fully and well.