Obituary of Linda Atkinson

B I O G R A P H Y ATKINSON: Linda Joyce Atkinson passed away at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta on Monday, December 17, 2007 at the age of 62 years. Linda Joyce Atkinson is survived by: Linda is survived by: her loving husband Roy of Lloydminster; two children: Lee Atkinson and his wife Shelly of Lloydminster, Denise and her husband Dean Giesbrecht of Calgary; six grandchildren; six siblings: Barb and Dale Collins of McLaughlin, Larry and Sandra Ball of Paradise Valley, Judy and Melvin Harper of Colorado, Leo and Vivian Owen of Texas, June and Red Decas of Texas, Orville and Arlene Owen of British Columbia as well as numerous other relatives. The funeral service for Linda was conducted from the Wild Rose Pavilion, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 1:00 P.M. with Scott Wade, Minister and Lee Patmore, Minister officiating. A eulogy was given by Mary Ellen Flint. Hymns sung were “When Upon Life Billows,” “Above The Bright Blue,” “It Is Well With My Soul,” and “Beyond The Sunset.” Honorary pallbearers were all those who shared in Linda’s life. Active pallbearers were: Gary Moore, Glenn Dudding, Nick Plandowski, Dale Collins, Larry Ball & Jeff Collins. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy Linda Joyce Ball was born in DeKalb, Texas on August 15, 1945, the oldest of four children born to Mavis and Edward Ball. Her siblings were two sisters Barbara and Judy, and one brother Larry. At the age of 10 Linda, along with Barbara, Judy and Larry went to live with their Uncle Leo and Aunt Rena Owen. Leo and Rena had three children: June, Leo Jr., and Arvil. Now a family of seven - “related by blood but sisters and brothers by love.” Leo was a Church of Christ preacher. Living on a preachers’ income was testy at times but all managed to get the necessities of life. In 1962 Uncle Leo got the opportunity to come to Canada to preach in Lloydminster. He left June, who was married and Leo Jr., who was going to college in the United States and brought the five others to Canada. Of the five, four have stayed in Canada. Even though Linda got her Canadian citizenship she still claimed to be a Texan. Once settled in Canada it was off to high school. The homeroom teacher sat the class in alphabetical order. There was a good looking guy, Atkinson, sitting in front of the beautiful gal, Ball. They dated all through high school and upon completion of grade 12 they went to university in Texas. On August 12, 1964 Linda and Roy were married. It was a beautiful wedding. Upon completion of their education in Texas, Roy and Linda moved to Edmonton. It was there Lee and Denise were born, Lee in 1967 and Denise in 1969. Linda was a proud and loving mother. When Denise was four months old Linda became very sick and was admitted to the hospital with kidney disease. She was diagnosed with lupus. This was the beginning of Linda’s battle with health problems. Our family had the privilege of looking after Lee and Denise during Linda’s stay in the hospital. I set up the crib in the living room and that’s where Denise slept. Lee got to sleep in the room with the big boys. Linda had been nursing Denise and I was the one to introduce her to that “cold old bottle.” What a good baby she was. Lee loved to play with Colleen and our dog Trixie. While living in Edmonton we always looked forward to being invited to Roy and Linda’s house. She cooked the best Southern Fried Chicken. Linda, Roy, Lee and Denise then made their home in Calgary and Lethbridge, moving back to Lloydminster in 1977. While living in Lethbridge Linda, Roy, Lee and Denise visited the farm. Roy was lucky enough to help haul bales while Lee marveled at the “horse marbles.” I remember Linda’s hands were so sore and swollen she could not dress the kids or tie their shoelaces. Linda was interested in music. She played the bassoon in the band while living in the states. While living in Calgary she decided to take piano lessons and continued lessons in piano and theory in Lloydminster. She taught piano and theory lessons to local children for many years. She also learned to play the violin and took art classes, excelling in both. Linda’s home was always open to those needing a place to stay. For several years Linda and Roy billeted hockey players, treating them like sons - in fact Dean did become her son. Both Linda and Roy exemplify the true meaning of generosity. They gave room and board to Michelle while she attended Reeve’s Business College. Linda and Roy had an aluminum fishing boat. Each summer they would pack up and head for the west coast - to fish in the pacific. One time when they were about one mile out in the ocean, the boat sprung a leak. No problem - Linda to the rescue. She was chewing bubble gum and quickly fixed the leak with the gum. I understand the patch held for years. Roy later removed the gum and applied a real patch, but this patch would not stop the boat from leaking. Linda the salesman: Linda tried her hand at home businesses. She had signed me up as a customer and we were off to Vermilion to a coffee party to present our wares. There were lots of ladies there and they were signing up and buying product. When the party was over I could not find Linda. Finally she came from the washroom. “Where were you?” I asked. Smiling from ear to ear, she said “I was calculating my profits.” Linda’s prayer was that the Lord would grant her time to see Denise and Lee grow up. Not only did He do that, God let her experience their marriages and the birth of six grandchildren. Lee married Shelly Webster and they have three sons: Tanner, Conner and Ryne. Denise married Dean Giesbrecht and they have three daughters: Vanessa, Julia and Lexi. Linda loved her grandchildren dearly. Vanessa, the oldest and firstborn had a special bond with Linda. Linda would always say, “She would give me a wink and a click of her tongue.” Tanner is the next oldest. Linda enjoyed watching him play hockey. He was always trying to say something to shock Grandma. Conner - she liked his enthusiam and always wanting to be busy. Twin girls Julia and Lexi - Linda liked to watch them on the trampoline. Ryne or “mad dog” as he is referred to around the rink. She liked his intensity and his smiling eyes. She was very proud of her family and supported them as they pursued their sports and education. Just last month Linda was watching the grandsons play hockey. Linda loved to spend time with Denise and the girls told me she was looking forward to spending Christmas with them at their cabin on Bragg Creek. Linda was a gentle soul. She did not like to hurt anyone’s feelings, unless they were talking about the family in a negative way. Linda could get pretty feisty when she had to. Linda loved animals. She was always taking them in, a cat named Caesar in Calgary, a dog Annie from Loon Lake. One time she tried to give artificial respiration to a gerbil who had fallen into the toilet. She took a small sparrow that fell out of the nest and fed it a worm she had cut up. She took the sparrow everywhere she sent, feeding and looking after it. Linda loved to travel. Roy and Linda accompanied by Leo Jr., his wife Vivian, and sister June, and toured England and Europe. Two years ago Linda and Roy drove their motor home to the east coast of Canada, touring there for two months. They spent the last five winters in Arizona. She couldn’t wait to get the sun shining on her face again. Summers were spent camping and fishing with family and friends. Linda looked forward to visiting relatives in Texas. May of this year Linda and Roy flew to Texas to celebrate June’s 70th birthday and June and Red’s 50th wedding anniversary. All the family members were there and Linda expressed how she treasured that time spent together. Linda’s health continued to fail. Kidney failure, dialysis and the complications followed. Her faith in God was strong and that is what sustained her through all her medical problems as well as other problems that came along in life. She did not complain or let it hold her back. She stated many times she had been richly blessed. She believed all things happen for a reason. Linda said, “I want everybody to be happy and celebrate with joy, because I had a joyous life.” Today let’s think of the good times she had and celebrate her life. Linda truly was an example and inspiration. We will miss you Linda! Love, in Christ Mary Ellen Flint Card of Thanks The family would like to thank everyone who sent flowers and food trays to the families as well as the donations made to the various charities. We would also like to thank the people who were involved in the service as well as the reception after the funeral. Roy Lee, Shelly & Sons Denise, Dean & Daughters Donations in memory of Linda may be made to the Kidney Foundation or to the Lloydminster Interval Home.