Linda Lupton

Linda Close Lupton, a retired Columbus elementary teacher and literacy facilitator, died from cancer on March 19, 2020, in Columbus at the age of 75. She was born on June 30, 1944, near State College, PA, to the late Roy and Edna Franks Close. Linda is survived by her husband, Richard B. Lupton, of Westerville; three daughters from her marriage to Richard L. Innis, Laura (Tim) Poland of Westerville, Melinda DeBruyne of Beaverton, OR, and Amanda (Drew) Briggs of Westerville; stepchildren Richard Rhodes Lupton and Eleanor Lupton, both of Columbus; grandsons Brian Poland and Nathan Poland, both of Westerville; granddaughters Graciella (Grace) DeBruyne and Gia DeBruyne, both of Beaverton; nephew Ronald E. (Cindy) Close Jr. of Monclova, Ohio; niece Cindy Beal of Delaware, Ohio; and great nephews and great nieces. Linda was preceded in death by her brother, Ronald E. (Ronnie) Close Sr., whose widow Lois, known as "Sally," resides in Perrysburg, Ohio.

Linda graduated from The Ohio State University in 1984 and again in 1991, receiving her Master's Degree on the same day as her daughter Laura graduated. She held season football tickets for some 40 years and founded the OSU Alumni Club of Delaware County. During the summers she worked in the Cash Room at the Ohio State Fair for almost 50 years, and served as Head Cashier for over 30. Recently, she was nominated for the Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame. She was active in the Church of the Messiah UMC, each year hosting her circle's Christmas dinner and going on annual mission trips with her husband Richard Lupton to Nicaragua where she formed a ministry providing nail and hair services to handicapped girls and their mothers. Linda adored Disney, and traveled there dozens of times, many with her stepdaughter Eleanor. Each year she organized a Linden-McKinley Class of 1962 trip to the Outer Banks, NC.

Family was sacred to Linda, and children the legacy one leaves behind. She adored Laura, Melinda, and Amanda, and was proud of their many accomplishments. She loved her stepchildren Rhodes and Eleanor as well, a love they returned. Amanda's close friend Lisa Dougherty (Mike) German was Linda's "fourth daughter." Nature was a joy, and a sunrise, birds frolicking in the bird bath, pelicans gliding over the ocean, and cats relaxing in an unusual pose (KoKo and Oliver can be included among the family survivors) quickened her heart. Her father worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad, her brother, nephew, and niece have also been railroaders, and one of her fondest childhood memories was the annual train trip with her mother back to PA that ended at Altoona with its Horseshoe Curve. This trip enabled Linda to visit relatives that included her favorite aunt, Florence Franks (Phil) Hallock, whose architect husband lost an opportunity to work with Frank Lloyd Wright due to World War II. Now Linda's on a greater train ride.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Bradley's House of Hope for handicapped children in Nicaragua through Church of the Messiah in Westerville, the OSU Alumni Club of Delaware County for scholarships, or one's preferred charity. The family will hold a graveside service at Forest Lawn Cemetery for immediate family members only. Linda had many friends, and was loved and respected by all who knew her, and a festive celebration of her life open to family and friends alike will be held once the coronavirus crisis has subsided.