Linda Kay Lawrence, 69, a lifelong resident of Westover, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.
Linda was born Feb. 16, 1951, in Morgantown, a daughter of the late John C. McKinney and Manda Rachel (Riffle) McKinney.
Linda was a member of the Westover United Methodist Church for over 45 years. In her early years, she was very active in her church. She served as administrative board president, superintendent of Sunday school, played the piano and organ for church services and sang in the church choir. She was a lay speaker for Woman’s Day in the pulpit. She was a member of the United Methodist Women and received the special recognition award. She was an active volunteer and cooked the church’s annual cornbread and bean soup dinner for several years. In 2001 she joined the St. Zita’s Catholic Church in Masontown, where she served as a lecture/reader when her husband, Steve, served as an usher. In 2010 when St. Zita’s Church discontinued Saturday evening services, Steve and Linda attended St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Kingwood.
Linda was also a member of the Westover Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary where she served as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Her time was devoted to supporting the fire department by working in the kitchen, bingo and fundraisers.
She loved country music and was a member of the mountain state drifters dance group. She was a Weight Watchers group leader and lectured at classes in Morgantown and Preston County for three years. She also enjoyed baking and cake decorating, camping, fishing, traveling and spending time with her family and friends. Linda was an avid quilter and enjoyed spending her time with her quilting friends at Country Roads Quilt Shop in Morgantown and Sew Special in Uniontown, Pa. She made keepsake quilts for all her family members.
Linda was a 1969 graduate of Morgantown High School and an alumnus of West Virginia University. She began her career in Morgantown working as an operator for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company. When the Morgantown office was closed, Linda transferred to Clarksburg, where she continued her career as a service representative for Verizon. She retired in 2002 from Bell Atlantic with 33 years of service. At the time of her retirement, she was a maintenance administrator. She was proud to be elected communications workers of America local 2004 Union Steward, as well as secretary. She graduated from a four-year AFL-CIO summer school program jointly sponsored by the West Virginia AFL-CIO and the Institute for Labor Studies and Research at WVU. She worked diligently for the union members during her tenure. She was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America. In 1994 she received the United States Presidents Volunteer Action Award for her participation in the P.T. Phone Home Project. The project targeted the installation of wiring for telephone installation in patient rooms at the veteran’s hospital in Clarksburg, allowing the patients better access to their friends and family. She also participated in the International Sports Jamboree for the disabled held at North Bend State Park.
After her retirement, she attended Monongalia County Technical Education Center (MTEC) where in 2003 she graduated from information systems. She was the information systems student of the year. Because of her outstanding character and achievement, she was elected into the National Vocational-Technical Honor Society. She also served at MTEC as the local chapter president of Phi Beta Lambda. After her graduation, she served on the general advisory committee for information systems for several years at MTEC.
After graduating from MTEC, Linda was the office manager of Hospice Care now known as WV Caring. She facilitated the opening of the Morgantown office and transitions center in March 2003.
In December 2005, Linda became an employee of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals at Monongalia County Magistrate Court. During her employment, she was a magistrate assistant to Jennifer Wilson and Sandy Holepit. She served as the representative for Monongalia, Preston, Marion, Harrison and Taylor Counties on the West Virginia Magistrate Court Staff Association. In 2014 she became a deputy clerk and was the central cashier of the court until her retirement in February 2017.
Linda’s greatest love, though, was being a devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend.
Those who remain to cherish her memory are her husband of 18 years, Stephen Wayne Lawrence; her daughter, Lisa Ann (Haddox) Munsey and husband Scott, and her granddaughter, Cassandra “Cassie” Wray Munsey, of Roanoke, Va.; her brother, Terry Lee McKinney and wife Min Sun, of Springfield, Va.; her former spouse and father to Lisa Munsey, Gary Haddox; mother-in-law, Helen Lawrence, of Masontown, her sister-in-law, Diana Johnson, husband Doug and family, of Grand Island, Neb.; her niece, Cynthia Maria Lusk of Boulder, Colo.; nephew, David Lee McKinney, wife Vanessa and four sons, of River view, Fla.; and her sister-in-law Debby McKinney of Valrico, Fla.
In addition to her parents, Linda was preceded in death by her sister, Mary Elouise Lusk.
Friends may join the family to honor Linda’s life and legacy at Fred L. Jenkins Funeral Home from 3-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. Visitation will resume at 9 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 21 until the time of services at 10 a.m. with Father Andy Switzer. Interment will follow at Beverly Hills Memorial Gardens.
Memorial contributions may be made in Linda’s memory to WVU Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 9300, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown WV 26506. Checks can be made payable to the WVU Foundation with “In Memory of Linda Lawrence” in the memo line.
The family would like to thank the staff of Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, Dr. Abraham Kanate and hospice for their exceptional care and compassion and also a special thank you to Cindy Shumiloff, Trela Pierce and Donna D’Amico for their friendship, love, and endless support that they have given to Linda.
