A Brief Biography Of Mary Linda

I cannot do justice to what my aunt, Mary Linda, instilled in my life and in the lives of others. I am convinced that who I have become was enriched and defined by Mary Linda Adams. She is one who definitely made a profound impact on my life.

My earliest memories of my aunt, Mary Linda, were made on Peanut Ridge, where my sister, Patricia, and I spent the night with her and granny. Many of my “first times” were made possible by Mary Linda. From taking me to my first football game, going to the old Belew’s Dairy Bar, where the burger was bigger than the plate, to my first trip to McDonald’s and getting a hot fried cherry pie; teaching me how to play cards, going to the Western KY fair where Johnny won me my very own blue and orange teddy

Early on, she instilled in me the importance of working, saving, and getting an education. I listened intently to her words and majored in secretarial science at Hopkinsville Community College, with the hopes that I, too, would become a secretary. However, with her encouragement, I continued my education and became a business teacher. Mary Linda never forgot an event--from birthdays, graduations, showers, weddings, and hospital visits when my babies were born. She never missed an opportunity to go to the hospital when someone was sick; and many times, she was the first one there. One thing that continually stood out to me was that it was always Mary Linda and Johnny; for they were a team, never one without the other. Her qualities as a mother were virtually endless. Leigh Ann was her world. Her family was of utmost importance. Mary Linda didn’t live an easy life; there were sickness and surgeries, but she always overcame them.

Sometimes you don’t realize how important someone is to you until they are gone. Helen Keller is quoted as saying, “What we have once enjoyed and deeply love we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” I don’t believe I ever thanked Mary Linda for everything she did for me. I will miss her smile, her laugh, her phone calls, and especially her love for God and