Dr. Linda Joyce McElroy

Obituary: Dr. Linda Joyce (Richardson) McElroy

Dr. Linda Joyce (Richardson) McElroy, 76, of Purcell and Chickasha went home to Heaven on Sunday, August 31, 2025, at her home in Chickasha. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 6, at First Baptist Church in Chickasha with her son, Rev. Greg McElroy, pastor of Oologah First Baptist Church, and nephew, Dr. Scott Hendry, pastor of Grace Church Shawnee, officiating. Burial will follow at Fairlawn Cemetery in Chickasha under the direction of Sevier's Funeral Home.

Dr. McElroy was born on Sept. 22, 1948, in Carnegie, OK, to Glenn Walter and Naomi Mae (Pitts) Richardson. She grew up on their family dairy farm outside of Verden, OK, and attended Verden Public Schools. She was a member of Chickasha First Baptist Church and active 4-H member throughout her childhood and adolescence, giving many presentations and speeches all over the state of Oklahoma, holding local and state 4-H offices, and traveling to many state and national 4-H conferences. She was chosen as a State 4-H Hall of Fame recipient, named a National 4-H Citizenship Award winner, and served as 4-H State Vice-President. After graduating as Valedictorian of her high school class, she attended the Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts (OCLA) in Chickasha, OK and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Home Economics in 1969. OCLA would later become the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO); a place that remained of great importance to Dr. McElroy throughout the rest of her life.

Dr. McElroy was always a hard-working person of great strength, who was determined to do her best and never give up. As a divorcee, she raised her two children, Lisa and Greg, on her own in their home in Purcell, OK with the support of her parents, sisters and brothers- in-law, extended family, and church family at Purcell First Baptist Church. Her children grew up with deep faith, believing they were strong and capable of doing anything they set their hearts and minds to due to the example of determination, strength, and positivity provided by their momma.

While raising her children in Purcell, she returned to her alma mater, USAO, and worked to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education in 1985. After working as the director and teacher for the Mother's Day Out Weekday Early Childhood Education program at Purcell First Baptist Church, teaching assistant at Purcell Elementary, and elementary teacher at Wanette Elementary, she chose to pursue her master's degree in Literacy at the University of Oklahoma (OU) and served as the reading specialist at Lexington Elementary, as well as an adjunct instructor and graduate assistant at OU while she worked toward that goal. She graduated from OU with her M.Ed. in Literacy/Reading Specialist in 1992.

In 1995 she was given the opportunity to once again return to USAO and join the faculty as a full-time instructor in literacy for education majors and began working to pursue a doctorate degree in literacy from OU. The next 30 years of her life and heart were devoted

to her family, students, colleagues, and the importance of literacy. She received her PhD in Instructional Leadership & Academic Curriculum--Literacy/Reading from the University of Oklahoma in 2000.

Her faith and family were the most important things in Dr. McElroy's life, followed closely by her love and devotion to her students, colleagues, and friends. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Purcell and cherished the lifelong friendships she built there.

She was an amazing Momma and source of never-ending support and encouragement to her children and their spouses, Lisa (Dennis) and Greg (Kelli). Her favorite role in life was being Granna to her three precious grandsons, Eli, Ethan, and Evan. She loved these boys with her entire being and hated to ever miss a band event, ball game, school or church performance, or any other event occurring in their lives. Their Granna loved them fully, deeply, and completely in every way possible. She also found great joy in attending events and ball games for her great niece, Madi, great nephews, Easton and Carter, and all immediate and extended family members and friends.

In addition to teaching her courses at USAO, she loved attending campus sporting events, music performances, and art events, served as the faculty advisor for the USAO Baptist Collegiate Ministries, a member of the Board of Directors and lifetime member of the USAO Alumni Association, and achieved full professor status at USAO. She was also a member of the Admission to Teacher Education Committee, recording secretary for the Division of Education and Speech Pathology, and served on many other committees including the Faculty Search, Financial Aid Appeals, Tenure and Promotion, Superior Faculty Awards, University Curriculum, Faculty-Student Grievance, Assessment and Accountability and Physical Resources. In addition, Dr. McElroy was the coordinator for the America Reads Program and recipient of the USAO Gladys Anderson Emerson Faculty Research Stipend. She received the USAO Regents Superior Teaching Award in 2009.

She was also a member of the International Reading Association, National Reading Conference, Oklahoma Higher Education Reading Council, Oklahoma State Department of Education Reading Consortium, Oklahoma Reading Association, Grady County Reading Association and Oklahoma Association of Teacher Educators.

In the fall of 2024, Dr. McElroy was deeply honored to be inducted into the USAO Alumni Hall of Fame. She felt this was one of her greatest honors, both personally and professionally, and her family will always be so grateful for all the students, colleagues, and friends who reached out at that time to celebrate with her and express their gratitude and appreciation for the many, many ways she impacted and touched their lives.

August 22, 2025, officially marked her 30 years of service at USAO.

Dr. McElroy was preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Naomi (Pitts) Richardson. She is survived by her daughter and son-in law Lisa (McElroy) and Dennis Wright of Norman; son and daughter-in-law Greg and Kelli (Tiller) McElroy of Oologah; grandsons Eli Glenn

McElroy, Ethan Wayne McElroy, and Evan James McElroy all of Oologah; sister Janell (Richardson) Hendry of Shawnee, sister and brother-in-law Karen (Richardson) and Dean Cunningham of Verden; sister-in-law Rachel (Parrish) McElroy of Mustang; nephew Scott Hendry of Shawnee; nephew Michael and wife Jessica (Robison) Cunningham of Chickasha; niece Lauren (Hendry) and husband Kyle Craig of Shawnee; nephew Daniel and wife Shelby (Ortiz) Cunningham of Verden; nephew Christopher McElroy of Mustang, nephew Kevin and wife Diana McElroy of Mustang; great niece Madi Cunningham of Chickasha; great nephew Easton Cunningham of Chickasha; great nephew Carter Craig of Shawnee; great nephew Tristin McElroy of Mustang; and great nephews Garrett and Gunner McElroy of Mustang, along with a host of cousins, extended family members, and friends.

Whether you knew her as Momma, Granna, Ninna, Linda, Mrs. McElroy, or Dr. McElroy, she loved you deeply and would always want you to remember to "have as much fun as you can!"

A viewing with family present will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM on Thursday, Sept. 4 at Sevier's Funeral Home in Chickasha. Dr. McElroy will also be available for viewing at Sevier's from 8:00 AM-7:00 PM on Friday, Sept. 5, with funeral services to follow on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 10:30 AM at the First Baptist Church of Chickasha.

Donations in her honor may be made to an Oklahoma 529 college savings plan for her three grandsons to help their Granna's legacy of literacy and education continue in their lives.

Link: https://www.ugift529.com/ Ugift code: 52J-T66