Linda Marie Hamilton

Linda Marie Hamilton 83, passed away peacefully at The Auberge at Plano on March 8, 2022 after a lengthy battle with Lewy Body dementia.

Linda was born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in Port Arthur, Texas. She was the daughter of the late Julius C. Gebhart and Lilly Sorensen Gebhart. Smart and musically gifted, she graduated from Jefferson High School and attended the University of Texas at Austin.

In the late 1960s, Linda and her family made their home in Waco where she became very active in the community. With her extraordinary energy and natural collaborating skills, she served in leadership roles on numerous committees, councils and service leagues for over two decades.

In 1971, Linda and a group of community leaders who became known as the “Waco Dozen”, were able to procure a meeting with leaders from North Vietnam in Paris, France to petition for the better treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs). On the flight back, the delegation decided to create a monument to remind present and future generations of the value of freedom. Linda played key roles in the design, fund raising and promotion of the “Freedom Fountain” which was formally dedicated on April 28, 1973 and now stands in Waco’s Freedom Plaza in the heart of downtown Waco.

In 1984 she moved to Dallas and worked for Hartmarx while attending classes at the University of Texas-Dallas to complete her college degree. She earned her Bachelor of Arts, then went on to receive her Master of Social Work, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1993. Linda enjoyed many years as a licensed Master Social Worker serving families in the DFW area and volunteered as a Crisis Counselor for the Red Cross.

Church involvement was also important to Linda. For a number of years, she served on the staff at St. Paul’s Episcopal and St. Alban’s Episcopal Churches in Waco working with the youth. In Plano, she was a member of St Andrew United Methodist Church.

Like her father, Linda loved the outdoors and instilled that passion in her family. She enjoyed golf, tennis, kayaking, working outdoors, dogs and traveling to see the world.

She is survived by her sons, David Hamilton (Caren) of Dallas, Texas, Chris Hamilton (Lea Margaret) of Greenville, Mississippi, her grandchildren, Kyle Hamilton, Alyssa Hamilton and Mac Hamilton and her sister, Johanna Shephard of Napa, California.

A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in the Good Shepard Meditation Garden at 2:00 PM on Monday, March 28th.

In lieu of flowers, Linda’s family asks that memorials be sent to:

Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road S.W., Lilburn, GA 30047,

or

Saving Hope Animal Rescue www.savinghoperescue.org, or a charity of your choice.