Lyndia Engstrom

1945 - 2021

Lyndia (Gibson) Engstrom passed away peacefully and went to be with the Lord on Monday, January 18th, 2021 at the age of 75 in her beautiful room at Bel Air at Teravista in Round Rock, Texas.

Lyndia was born on May 30th, 1945 in Conroe, Texas to her loving parents James (Jimmy) and Wynnelle (Watson) Gibson. She began studying dance at the age of 4, and continued her love of dance including tap, ballet, jazz, and twirling her entire life. She enjoyed her time growing up in Conroe, and she made lifelong friendships. She graduated from Conroe High School in 1963 and was the Football Sweetheart, Candidate for Homecoming Queen, Candidate for Queen of the Flare, Voted One of Ten Most Beautiful, and was a twirler in the band. After high school, she attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX for two years, and later in life returned and completed her degree with a Bachelor of Science with a major in Dance in the year 2001.

She married John Engstrom in 1966, and they had three beautiful daughters, Melissa (Engstrom) Upshaw, Cynthia C. Engstrom, and Andrea (Engstrom) White, and they were married for 30 years. In the early years, with her husband in the Navy, they moved to Philadelphia, PA, Albuquerque, NM, San Diego, CA, and several other places. Then they moved to Plano, TX, and she opened her first dance studio and taught there for a few years. After that, they settled in the small farming community of Garwood, Texas, and raised their daughters, and had a rice farm nearby. This is where she opened a dance studio named "Lyndia Engstrom School of Dance." She taught there for more than ten years, with many students from neighboring communities, and then moved her studio to a neighboring town in Columbus, Texas, where she continued teaching for several more years. As a beloved dance teacher, she had a tremendous positive impact on the lives of hundreds of dance students who still remember her fondly to this day, and she loved every one of them. As a businesswoman and entrepreneur, and member of the Dance Educators of America, she taught dance and entered her dancers in competitions, winning multiple awards, for a total of 25 years. In addition to dance, she also had a great love of playing the piano, and loved to play hymns and sing along, and she enjoyed playing traditional songs as well. After the years in Columbus, they moved to Austin, and Lyndia would reside in the Austin area for her remaining years, close to family and friends.

Most of all, Lyndia loved spending time with her family and friends. She took such joy in and was so proud of her daughters and sons-in-law, and she said that her grandchildren "are the love of my life." She was a devoted, loving "Grandmother" to her six grandchildren, and she said that her sister "is my best friend." She was so compassionate and always thinking of others. Her beautiful smile would light up a room, and she loved to make others laugh, and she didn't hold back. One of her greatest joys in life was telling jokes, and she particularly enjoyed finding a new joke that would make people groan. She also had a gift of complimenting others, even people she didn't know, and making them feel good and brightening their day. People would say that she is the most positive person they have ever known. Her generous spirit and kindness were felt by all. She was a wonderful role model of how we should live our lives to the best of our ability.

Lyndia was first and foremost a Christian, strongly believing in the power of prayer, and her faith carried her through many difficult times in life. She loved to read her bible every day, and one of her favorite passages was the 23rd Psalm, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want..." Two of her favorite hymns were "How Great Thou Art," and also "A Mighty Fortress is our God," which she fondly remembered playing on the piano with her father. She attended Methodist churches her entire life, with her current home church being Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas.

Lyndia is survived by three daughters: Melissa Upshaw (son-in-law Lyel Upshaw), Cynthia C. Engstrom, and Andrea White (son-in law Danny White). Six grandchildren: Trent Upshaw, Audrey Upshaw, Dylan Wise, Lucas Wise, Camden White, and Grayson White. Siblings: James (Jim) Gibson Jr. (sister-in-law Charlotte Gibson), sister-in-law Nina Gibson, and sister Cynthia Thomas (brother-in-law Gary Thomas). She also had many nieces, nephews, and friends who she dearly loved. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Gary Gibson.

A memorial service will be held this summer on Friday, July 16th at 2:00 pm in the chapel at Cashner Funeral home at 801 Teas Rd, Conroe, TX 77303. You are invited to view the webpage and leave written tributes to the family at cashnerconroe.com.