Linda Jane Smith

The blessing of knowing Linda and having her as a friend for the past 5 years will always be a treasure. Even during her lowest days with her illness, she was reaching out to her friends and inquiring about our needs and ministering to us and praying for us. Although our hearts will ache for one more visit or one more phone call with Linda, we will be rejoicing at the instantaneous healing that came when she came face to face with her Lord and Savior. She served Him well and her life was an example of Jesus to all of us. Our prayers, encouragement and support are extended to Courtney and Brandon and to the rest of Linda's family. Charlie & Debi Mogab

Having Linda for a sister was a huge blessing. Her constant witnessing of her faith gave me so much strength, especially at the lowest times of my life. She accomplished so much during her short life..I will miss our daily phone calls; I will miss hearing her telling me "I love you!" God is good all the time! She is with our Lord - free of pain. Praise be to God.
May He bless Courtney and Brandon and their families.
Janet, Megan, Jimmy & Sue

Linda was an amazing lady who left us all with a shining example of how a life should be lived. She walked through extememly difficult circumstances with grace and dignity. She lived her faith without compromise. May each of us allow the impact of her life to inspire us to live wisely, love deeply, serve sincerely, share unselfishly and hope unfadingly. Wouldn't she love to know her life has caused us to be better individuals?

Our thoughts and prayers are with you Courtney, Brandon and family.

We love you,

Uncle Gary & Aunt Michelle

I am truly grateful to have had the pleasure of growing up with and loving Linda. She and her family helped me to find our Lord. She is one of the most thoughtful and loving women I know. She was always accepting of everyone and always willing to help out. She will be truly missed by all; family, friends, and students.

Linda, I know you are happy and at peace now. You have taught me how strong someone can be and that Faith truly works. Please say Hi to Doug for me, I love you both, and I'm happy you are together again. Thank you for everything you have done. You are an inspiration!

To Linda Smith,
You have inspired me in so many ways as a teacher and more importantly as a human being. Your unique teaching skills and your ability to connect with your students fascinated all who were privileged enough to know you. Your ability to persevere despite the pain and inconveniences of a major illness have made me realize just how much you loved your career and your pupils.
I'll miss the lunchtime conversations and the debates about everything from politics to entertainment. I know I'm so fortunate to have shared so many years with such a special friend and colleague. I'll see you when God calls me home!

I'll Follow You

I'll follow you, for you have taught me well
How one should live with eyes upon the Lord.
I'll follow you, for only time will tell
How much we all rely upon His Word.

You've led us by the hand and by the heart,
With love and smiles and kindness all the while.
When follower and leader are apart,
The follower shall think of you and smile.

The paths of life no one should tread alone;
We all need a companion for the road.
Your journey ends, yet ours has just begun;
You've shown us how we all should share the load.

A friend for life and for eternity,
I'll follow you, dear friend, please wait for me.

Kim Wrinkle

I will remember Linda as a grand lady - the ultimate professional whose expertise and caring touched so many students and other teachers. Linda and I had the opportunity to work at many AP conferences together, and she never failed to give her all. I will miss Linda - God bless her, and God bless the family she loved so much.

Mrs. Smith was my teacher in 1993. As we go through life there are very few people that have a profound influence on our lives. Mrs. Smith impacted my life in a way that very few people can and do. I can say God placed me in her class to teach me how to write. I have now moved on to obtain an MBA and have had a successful business career because of the fundamentals she taught me. I remember her standing in class teaching us organization and flow of our thoughts, being passionate about helping kids learn, and of course interjecting comments of faith here and there. She moved me deeply because of her faith and I could always tell there was something powerful driving her to make us learn. The fact that she shared her faith with us (as a class) was refreshing. My mother (Charlotte Simpson) told me that she is in education to impact the lives of children. She said that if she just touches the life of one child, it is all worth it. Mrs. Smith...you touched my life. When it is my time to join you in heaven I hope that God will let me be in your class. Maybe they will have a different version of the Scarlett Letter you can update me on. Thank you for being you.

P.S. If there are any grammatical errors please disreguard. ;- )

She let me into her home even though I have an anthropology degree and used to leave first period with her daughter to get breakfast. She’d stand back and shake her head when Doug & I would fight about evolution. She helped me write my essay that got me accepted into law school. She was such a little woman and had the strongest will I have ever seen. I am so proud to have known and loved her and can only hope to someday be as strong and kind as she was.

Linda gave me a shoulder to cry on during the years I was having difficulty with my teenage daughter. What mother and daughter do not at least some conflict, especially during the teen years?!! Linda was a good listener and gave me wise and sound advice. Being a high school teacher, she dealt with this age group on a daily basis. She offered many times to tutor Jennifer in English. Unfortunately for me, Jennifer was a good English student. It was the math and science that were her problem areas. Still Linda was willing to help, if she could. Most important to me was the listening. She was not a person who interrupted you to tell you what you should have done or said, or what you should do or say. She'd just listen patiently to everthing you had to say, then she'd offer you suggestions from her years of wisdom, from having raised her two adult children, and from having taught hundreds of other people's teens over the course of her many , many years of teaching. As sick as she was towards the end of her life, she didn't dwell on herself and her problems. She wanted to help you with yours! I loved her so much for that! She was so faithful to us in our singing group (Viva Voce') too. Always punctual and ready to do her part! She had a lovely voice and a talent for playing the piano. She left a large void in our group last year when she became too ill to sing with us at Christmastime. It was just not the same without her. It never will be again! When the original founder and director of Viva Voce' left the group and gave it to me, I was fearful that some of the original members would not support her decision to give the group to me, but Linda did! She was behind me all the way! She knew I would have the group's best interests at heart and give it my all to keep us booked on gigs and hold us all together. I loved her all that much more for giving me that kind of love and support. If I have any regreats, it is that I was unable to get up to see her as often as I would have liked to, in the last few months of her life. But for me, it is better that I remember Linda the way I knew her at her best. I know in my heart that she is at peace now and in the arms of Jesus. No more pain. No more suffering. A brand new body and I'm quite sure a brand new heavenly voice! It would not surprise me one bit to hear her singing with the angels right now! Save us all a seat in that Heavenly choir, Linda! One day we will all be together again, singing Glory to God in the Highest! For now, we who are left here on earth miss you terribly, but we also know you are in a far better place and we rejoice in knowing that!

I first met Linda as an English teacher in Michigan, where she honestly was, one of the best teachers I ever had. As a 17 year old at the time, who would have ever imagined I would become part of the "Smith family" after I married her brother-in-law, Tom. Courtney and Brandon, our thoughts and prayers will always be with you.