Linda A. Heacock

HEACOCK, Linda A., 64, of Ashland, Va., beloved mother, wife, and peace worker died at her home on September 12, 2008. She is survived by her husband, Michael F. Jeffrey of Ashland; son, Ted Heck; and daughters, Mrs. Anne Heck Wright and Hannah Heacock Jeffrey; and son-in-law, Mr. Chris Wright. She is also survived by her sister, Sue Heacock Wolfe of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and her brother, Joel Heacock, of Warminster, Pa. After a career in social work, foster care service, and counseling incarcerated mothers at the Women's Farm (Virginia Correctional Center for Women), she received a spiritual calling to work in Africa, sharing her lifelong knowledge of the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP). Linda was a birthright Quaker. A member and former Clerk of Richmond Friends Meeting, she became an Embraced Minister to travel to Kenya in 2005 to work with Kenyan Quakers in the Great Lakes region teaching AVP to a core group of Kenyan young adults to aid tribal reconciliation and the prevention of domestic violence. On her third trip she was diagnosed with Burkett's lymphoma, which is usually only found in parts of Central Africa. Her friends and family will miss her gentle soul and passion for justice. The Kenyan Quaker women she worked with called her "Mpole" which translates as "gentle one". This is an apt description of her life. A memorial service, in the manner of Friends, will be held at 3:30 p.m. at Richmond Friends Meeting, 4500 Kensington Ave., Richmond, Va. on September 20, 2008. In lieu of flowers, Linda would appreciate donations to the African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI). Please make the check out to: Friends Peace Teams, earmarked to: African Great Lakes Initiative, and send it to: African Great Lakes Initiative Friends Peace Teams, 1001 Park Avenue, St. Louis, MO. 63104.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.