By Judy Christie

The love of Linda Wolverton’s life, the late Lt. Col. Phillip Hukil, USA (Ret), was wearing his military uniform when she ran into him in a restaurant in the San Francisco airport in 1984. She was in town for a job interview. He was meeting military colleagues before they deployed.

After six hours getting to know one another, Hukil told her, “I’m in love with you. … I want to marry you.” She was 40, an expert in health care management. He was 52 and part of the Combat Development Experimentation Command in Monterey, Calif. She was from a military family, and his plans for an Army career had begun in World War II in Alaska at age 12 when he spent three months as a member of the unique Alaska Territorial Junior Guard before U.S. soldiers arrived, “and he went back to sixth grade.”

Wolverton called her mother from an airport pay phone to tell her she was engaged, and Hukil flew to Florida to meet her family.

“I knew it was right,” she said.

After 30 years of marriage, her husband, “a finance guy,” died after a short illness, and she was left to develop a checklist for dealing with benefits and life as a widow. Using what she learned through her own grief, Wolverton, now 81, turned her considerable energy to volunteering with the Luke (Ariz.) Chapter of MOAA, most recently serving as the chapter’s surviving spouse liaison.

For her outstanding service, Wolverton has been awarded the 2023 Surviving Spouse Liaison Excellence Award at the chapter level. Her efforts range from developing a website with resources for surviving spouses to organizing a seminar for caregivers — who she believes need more attention — to writing about MOAA’s surviving spouse meetings for an area magazine that goes to eight communities. She has fun at group meetings and relishes one-on-one work, even driving 60 miles two days in a row to help a new widow in her 90s who did not have a computer.

[GET INVOLVED: Find a MOAA Chapter | MOAA Virtual Chapters]

A MOAA Premium member, Wolverton laughs easily, tells a great story — and prefers not to talk about herself. She gives the credit to her chapter’s surviving spouses — about 35 men and women from ages 51 to 102.

“It’s not all about me. I’ve got a great team.” she said. “We understand each other. We’ve all had to face things.”

As Maj. Gene Wikle, USAF (Ret), president of the Luke Chapter, said: “She came to that position determined to help other surviving spouses in multiple ways, including support in dealing with the shock of losing a cherished life partner. She applied her high intelligence, many talents, and engaging enthusiasm to completely reorganize and energize the surviving spouse program for the Luke Chapter.”

Wolverton retired at age 72 from a 54-year career as an international expert in health care management, including mergers and acquisitions and compliance. Her résumé, though, states a different purpose these days: “Currently retired to enjoy helping others.”

“I just like helping other people,” she said. “I was always taught that. You can smile at others and make their day. You can give someone a hug. You can offer help — all for free.”

Judy Christie is a writer based in Colorado.