Linda was born in Ballinger, Texas, to proud parents Larry and Ivie Garmon and raised in San Antonio. For her and her siblings, it might as well have been Garrison Keillor’s famed Lake Wobegon because they saw the Garmon family as “where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.”
Linda graduated from Luther Burbank High School on San Antonio’s South Side before attending classes at San Antonio Community College. She eventually headed to the University of North Texas, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in music.
Linda wore many hats in her professional life. In addition to teaching music briefly, she worked as a secretary and office manager for Dallas advertising agencies. She later managed her late husband Joe Miller’s famed bar. Ultimately, Linda retired as Founding Managing Partner of M-Power Prosthetics and Orthotics, where her talents, personal relationship-building skills, and years of experience served as the keystone of the company’s culture and success.
Linda loved deeply and fiercely. She was a loyal and dedicated advocate for those she loved. When her first husband, Joe, passed away in 1985, Linda called her daughters together and explained that the three of them were now on their own. She demanded that her girls resolve their sibling rivalry and began teaching them critical life lessons about the importance of family, caring for one another, and being independent.
She went on to find love again after meeting accomplished trombone player and session musician John Osborne. They were married on Thanksgiving Day in 1992 during halftime of a Dallas Cowboys game. Everyone won that day—John, “The Miller girls,” and the Cowboys! Linda, John, and their blended family shared lots of laughs and fun adventures over the years. However, nothing compared to the joy Linda and John shared from their front-row seat directly across the street, as they watched their grandchildren Joe and Ivie grow up.
Linda is remembered with love by daughter Amy Miller Mehary and her husband Chris Mehary, daughter Ali Miller and her spouse Jay Crossen, her devoted husband John Osborne, John’s son Don Osborne and Don’s wife Katy, all from Dallas. Surviving siblings include her sister Sue Pritchard of San Antonio, and her brothers Vick Garmon of Port Clinton, Ohio, and Kent Garmon of Fredericksburg, Virginia, along with their spouses, many loving nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her grandchildren Joe and Ivie, and her adorable grand dogs Krekels, Fred, and Lamont Sanford, who brought her many smiles. She was preceded in death by her parents, Larry and Ivie Garmon; her brother Doug Garmon; and her first husband, Joe Miller, father of her children.
Gratitude replaces our sorrow during this time when so many are mourning worldwide. We are grateful for the time we had with Linda and the compassionate healthcare heroes at Presbyterian Hospital, who gracefully allowed us to be with her in her final moments and helped provide her with a peaceful goodbye. We hope to celebrate Linda’s life around what would have been her 80th birthday in August. Until then, we know there is an angel wearing a golden visor, watching over us all.
With so many needs during this unprecedented time, in lieu of flowers please honor her memory by donating to your favorite North Texas charity.
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