Linda Kay Parker

Linda was not a small presence. She was vibrant, bold, creative, and unforgettable. To know Linda was to know someone who lived fully, loved fiercely, and showed up exactly as herself.

The people who mattered most to Linda extended far beyond her immediate family. Her world included her work family and close friends, people she cared for deeply and truly considered part of her life. Giving back was important to her, and one of the most meaningful ways she expressed love was by hosting her annual Christmas parties. These gatherings were never just parties. They were her love language. Linda poured her heart into every detail, insisting on the highest quality in everything she did. Countless hours of planning, decorating, and hard work went into each celebration, and she would not have had it any other way. That was Linda, generous, thoughtful, and all in with her love.

Linda was, is, and always will be remembered as a beautiful and confident woman. She was the kind of friend who showed up to support you, encourage you, and help you see the best in yourself. She believed deeply in people and wanted them to recognize the worth she so clearly saw in them. Adventurous by nature, she often nudged those she loved to step outside their comfort zones and experience life more fully. She cherished every role she held as a loyal friend, a devoted mother and mother in law, and a proud grandmother.

Linda was unapologetically herself. Sometimes what she said caught you off guard, but it was always honest. I remember once talking with her about motherhood and asking about her experience after having her son, Trey. I expected a tender, sentimental answer about instant overwhelming love. Instead, Linda said she did not quite understand that idea. How could you love someone you did not even know yet. She was not sure how she could be that excited when she did not even know if she was going to like him.

That honesty was pure Linda. And of course it did not last long, because before anyone knew it, she devoted her life to Trey. She loved him fiercely, wholeheartedly, and without question. That was Linda, real, unexpected, and overflowing with love.

Linda was a leader, a trailblazer, and a trendsetter. She never believed in traditional gender roles, and that independence showed up early. As young as five years old, she remembered standing on a chair washing dishes, upset that she was doing that chore while her brothers were not. Even then, Linda knew exactly who she was and who she was not willing to be.

She took chances in life and gambled on herself. Age meant nothing to her. She was young at heart and met life head on. In 1987, Linda founded and opened her first clinic under Transformations, a patient oriented company with a heartbeat. Her work was never just a career. It was another way she cared for people and made a difference in their lives.

When Parkinson's became part of her story, she faced it the same way she faced everything else, directly and without backing down. Love carried her through it all.

Life with Linda was always an adventure. Every day felt like we were auditioning for Thelma and Louise. Once while driving on the interstate, a man began riding our tail. Linda was furious. At the first chance she got, she reversed the roles and began riding his tail instead, calm, cool, and completely in control. I sat in the passenger seat gripping the chair, silently praying while my contact lens slid around my eye, as Linda shouted for me to get his license plate. Thankfully he took an exit, but that moment captured her perfectly. No one was ever going to get one over on Linda.

Her mind was always racing ahead, and sometimes that led to unforgettable moments. Not long after getting a new tin roof, she could not stop thinking about whether she liked the color. One day, lost in thought on Rinehart Road, she did not realize how fast she was going and was pulled over. When the officer asked if she knew how fast she was driving, Linda answered honestly that she was thinking about her new roof and whether she made a mistake with the color. The officer told her she needed to think about the speed limit and let her go without a ticket.

And then there was the time Linda decided she just wanted to see if her gun was still working, so she shot a hole straight through her bedroom floor. We could not hear properly for hours afterward. That was not recklessness. That was Linda being Linda, curious, confident, fearless, and fully herself.

Linda was deeply creative. In 1965, while attending Northwestern Oklahoma State University, she was crowned Miss Cinderella. She designed and made her own gown and sang Little Blue Man for her talent, already showing the confidence and artistry that would define her life.

She loved to dance and had a deep love for music, especially rock and country and her favorite was Toby Keith. She had a bold eye for color, loving red and purple together and pairing orange and pink in just the right way. Fashion was another form of self expression for her. She could mix and match pieces no one else would ever think to put together and somehow make them look like a million bucks.

She also loved quiet moments, watching old movies and westerns, stories of royalty, and Outlander. But her favorite thing to watch was Fox News.

Family meant everything to Linda. Trey and his family especially loved her cooking, her fried okra, homemade chicken and dumplings, and her mama's famous chocolate cake batter recipe. Linda had watched her mother make it many times throughout her life. There was never any baking involved, just enjoying every delicious bite of the batter until there was none left.

If her family ever asked for something, Linda would make it. No hesitation. No complaints. Just love, served generously.

Linda's favorite dessert was razzle dazzle pie, and that feels perfectly fitting. Linda was razzle dazzle pie. Bold, memorable, full of flavor, and impossible to ignore.

Linda lived brightly, loved fiercely, and left her mark everywhere she went.

Linda was Linda. And that is exactly how she will always be remembered.

Memorial donations may be made to Advent Health Hospice - (407) 609-3927