Linda Sue

Linda Sue (Dornbrack) Perry
Born November 14, 1950
Died September 11, 2012 after a courageous 19 month battle with cancer. 

Linda Sue was my older sister and I miss her every day.  Even after two years I still reach for the phone to give her a call - only to realize I can't.  So, I just talk...

I think about the last time we spoke on the phone.  I was taking a walk though the open space behind our old condo and we talked about nothing...and everything.  I told her about what was going on in my life - the conference I was going to be attending the next week - how Kaitlyn was doing in school - the hikes Lance, Ellie and I had gone on - and how the new house we were building was coming.  She talked about her children and grandchildren - her fight with cancer and how tough it was - and that it might be time to stop the chemo. I told her she needed to hang in there - I was planning on her coming to visit me in Colorado as soon as the house was finished.  She said she was looking forward to it and then we said "I love you" to each other and that was it...the last time we talked. 

While I can no longer give Linda a phone call, I do have many fond memories of her to call upon.

I remember one night when I was growing up, our family had just finished dinner and we were all cleaning up. Linda was washing the dishes, my brothers and I were drying and putting away.  For some reason, we decided to put on winter hats and scarves even though it was not winter.  And we all thought this was hysterically funny.  I remember Linda wearing my long stocking cap, peaking over her shoulder with a dishrag in her hands.  And it still makes me smile.

My sister was a bit mischievous as a teenager.  One morning, while the local county fair was in full swing, we all woke up to find a pile of temporary cardboard "no parking" signs on our front porch. Linda and her friends had thought it would be funny to liberate the signs - too bad our Dad didn't agree. I don't remember the consequences she had to pay (and I am sure there were some), but I do remember thinking how funny and daring she was - even though it was probably not the smartest thing she ever did.

Linda is the reason I learned to sew.  She made a lot of her clothes and I thought if my big sister could sew her own clothes, so could I.  Linda's talent for sewing served her well throughout the years.  She made her own wedding dress, her children's clothes, my daughter's baptismal gown, and numerous bridesmaid dresses.  She inspired me to sew my own clothes as a teen, including a formal dress for my junior prom, curtains for my first house, and many of Kaitlyn's Halloween costumes over the years.

Linda always had a flair for fashion and a sense of style.  When she was in her early twenties Linda had dark brown shoulder length hair that she would style in a myriad of ways, but she also owned a short dark wig and a short blond wig.  I thought it was so sophisticated when she would put on her wigs - and I used to secretly try them on and pretend I was all grown up, just like her.  At the time I didn't think Linda knew about my fascination with her wigs, but I now suspect she was well aware of what I was up to.

About the same time, Linda also owned a blue 1968 Chevy Camaro. It was the coolest car I had ever seen.  I was about seventeen at the time and planned on going to the annual Red Owl employee picnic, but had no way to get there.  My sister offered me the use of her car that day.  Wow - so unexpected - but so like her.  The guys I worked with were all over that car the minute I pulled into the parking lot.  I suddenly had star status - at least for one day.  She knew what she was doing for my confidence - and for that I will always be grateful.

When Lance and I were planning our wedding, we thought it would be nice to have an intimate outdoor ceremony with just immediate family and a few close friends.  It was Linda who volunteered her backyard, planted flowers to give us the perfect backdrop, found us a singer/guitar player, suggested a photographer, and hosted a celebration in her garage the day after for the friends and relatives that were not at the actual ceremony.  Linda always went above and beyond expectations.

I could go on and on, the memories keep flooding back, but I think you get the picture. 

Linda was a great sister, but not perfect.  She was the link that kept our family together after my father and mother passed away, a wonderful wife and mother in her own right, a genuinely nice person, and will live forever in the hearts of all the people whose lives she touched. 

Happy birthday, sis... love you!