Linda Faye Russell Ballard was the eleventh of eleven children, born into a poor but loving home on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama. A coal miner’s daughter, she endured a very crowded three-room house with no indoor plumbing and a trifling yard rooster that tormented her as a young girl.
Which is probably why she grew up to be as tough as she was.
Beautiful, smart, and athletic, Linda was a majorette and a prom queen in high school, but she could have easily played on the varsity baseball team if girls had been allowed back in the day.
She married her high-school sweetheart, Bob, and worked for Auburn University to put him through grad school. With a sharp mind and a kind heart, Linda was well suited to become an educator and a church youth leader, working at times with kindergarteners, special needs children, and the young people at Winchester’s First United Methodist.
But some of her favorite memories were on the baseball diamond and the football gridiron, cheering for her own kids and the children of her good friends, even though they might be on opposing teams. Linda never missed a game, and she would gladly step in to pitch for batting practice.
She had a wicked curveball.
Linda traveled the world with her husband and two sons, visiting over thirty countries and even circumnavigating the globe once. Although she made many wonderful friends while living in Saudi Arabia, her favorite country was England, where she loved sipping beer shandies and schooling the locals in weekly pub trivia.
Once, carsick from a lorry ride in London, she famously threw up on the steps of Buckingham Palace. And she always thought that was hilarious.
She doted on her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. She played a solid match of tennis and a brilliant game of bridge. She loved her family and friends fiercely. And she could build a campfire like no one’s business.
About her own mother’s death, Linda always said that she would like to go the same way – peacefully in her sleep. And, true to form, that’s exactly what she did.
Although Linda had many exciting adventures throughout her life, she loved those early years at Auburn like no other. She always thought of the university as her first real home, and it is to Auburn that she has requested to return. Even as ashes.
War Eagle, Mom. War Eagle.
Linda leaves behind her loving sons, Mike and Steve, and their spouses, both named Angela; seven grandchildren, Zack, John (Hayley), Sylas, Ben, Claire, Jasper, and Caroline; two great grandchildren, Taylor and Jackson; and her sister, Edna; along with countless cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends.
Please join the family in service and celebration of Linda’s life on Sunday, July 7, 2024, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Winchester, Tennessee.
While Linda enjoyed flower arrangements, she wouldn’t have wanted everyone to make a fuss with that. But she did give generously to those programs that helped feed the hungry, especially children. So, if you feel inclined to honor Linda with something beautiful, please make it a donation to your local food bank or the Winchester First United Methodist School Backpack Program.
Moore-Cortner Funeral Home 300 1st Ave NW, Winchester, TN 37398, 931-967-2222
