Visionary La Conner business owner Linda Freed remembered

During the height of America’s running boom, Linda Freed eyed the La Conner waterfront as an ideal venue from which to launch what has proved for nearly four decades to be a pace-setting business model.

Her recipe blending a lifelong devotion to what some at the time viewed as opposites – baking and fitness – was the genesis of Calico Cupboard, the health-conscious café and bakery that today enjoys a loyal following at three Skagit Valley locations.

Freed, an award-winning business owner as well as accomplished hiker, mountain climber and equestrian, passed away last week at...