Linda Kaye Kinkel

Linda Kaye (Hays) Kinkel, 81, beloved wife, mother, grandmother (Gma and Grandma) and great grandmother (Gigi) left her earthly home on June 7, 2023 to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all of her loved ones who have gone before her.
Linda was born in Evansville, IN on January 2, 1942, to the late Theador and Dorothy (Gentry) Hays. Linda was married to the love of her life, the late Jack Henry Kinkel, on December 16, 1961. Together they had three children: Amy Elizabeth (Scott) Adams of Evansville, Anne Susan (Gregg) Schweir of St. Joseph, MI, and Jack Theodore or J.T. (Michele) Kinkel of Evansville. Linda is survived by her sister, Nancy (Craig) Hills or Evansville, and a brother in law, Theodore (Marilyn) Kinkel of Annapolis, Maryland. Linda was blessed with eleven grandchildren and their spouses: Rachel (Nathan) Sansing, Taylor Adams (Hayley Torres), Ellen Schuerger (Eric Nebelung), Margaret (Carl) Kay, Dorothy Adams, Ethan (Laura) Schweir, John (Kelsie) Schweir, Melanie (Taylor) Dickey, Jack Henry Kinkel II, William Kinkel and Katherine Kinkel. Linda also has seven great grandchildren, Camden Sansing, Lucy Sansing, Eloise Kay, Sophie Schweir, John Rory Schweir, Sutter Schweir, and Grayson Schweir, as well as a large and loving extended family with many beloved cousins, nieces and nephews. Linda loved them all so very much.
Linda was a graduate of Bosse High School, class of 1960. She attended the University of Evansville and joined the Chi Omega sorority. Committed to earning her degree, Linda returned to college when her children were grown, and graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with an Elementary Education degree in 1989. She taught 1st and 5th grades at Tekoppel, Fairlawn and Harper Elementary schools for several years before retiring to enjoy more time with her beloved grandchildren.
Linda was a long time member of Christian Fellowship Church where she enjoyed teaching fifth grade Sunday School for many years. She and Jack loved their Sunday School class, the Upper Room, and enjoyed many Sunday mornings learning about Jesus and His unfailing love. Linda was also involved in Bible Study Fellowship for close to thirty years, many of those years in a leadership role where she served with integrity and love for those around her. In her younger years Linda served on the Evansville Philharmonic Board, was active in the Junior League of Evansville, and served on the board of the Evansville Christian Home.
Linda and Jack were members of the Evansville Country Club and played a lot of tennis in their earlier years. Linda was a runner before most people knew it was ok to run for no good reason. She loved to cook for her family and made the best chocolate chip cookies and "Hershey Brownies" in the midwest! Her apple crumb pie, banana pineapple bread, cranberry coffee cake and Christmas sausage strata were legendary. She loved Christmas, Easter, birthdays and any chance to gather her family together. Linda made every family celebration beautiful and an event to be remembered.
Linda's family would like to thank the many caregivers and friends who helped Linda in these last years including: Kat Perez-Malebeh, Julie Meyer, Paula Coultas, Denise Poelhuis, and Amanda Foree. The love and care you provided is invaluable, and she loved each of you dearly.
We also want to thank the staff of North River Assisted Living, the staff of Bethel Manor Rehabilitation Center, and the incredible staff of AseraCare Hospice. She was definitely blessed with wonderful caregivers.
Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, June 11, 2023 at Ziemer Funeral Home East Chapel, 800 S. Hebron Ave. Visitation will continue from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 12, 2023 at Christian Fellowship Church, 4100 Millersburg Rd. Funeral service will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the church. The funeral service will be livestreamed at www.ziemerfuneralhome.com and can be accessed by choosing the Photos and Videos tab on Linda's tribute page.
Burial will be at Lutheran Cemetery in Evansville.
If you would like to make a donation in Linda's honor, please consider Aseracare Hospice, an Amedysis Company, 8401 N. Kentucky Avenue, Suite G, Evansville, Indiana 47725 or Bible Study Fellowship, Catherine Sailer, 4509 Crown Ridge Court, Evansville, IN 47725. Please mention Linda Kinkel in the memo for either group.