She is predeceased by her first and second husbands, Walter Samuel Dumas, Jr. and Gilbert “Red” Bernal; her parents, John Franklin and Ernestine Hughes Lewis; her grandparents, Warren and Maggie Hicks Lewis, and Willie and Lena Hasty Hughes; as well as her aunts and uncles, several much-loved cousins, and dozens of pets. She is survived by her children, John Frederick Dumas and Julie Dumas Blettner, and their spouses, Kristin Luther Dumas and Douglas Andrew Blettner; her stepsons, Darryn Bernal and Steve Bernal, and Darryn’s wife Kimberly Hilbun Bernal; her grandchildren, Sarah Kate Blettner, Amanda Carol Blettner, Nick and Megan Bernal, Samantha Bernal, Derek and Kaitlyn Bernal, Dara Bernal Macon and Jake Macon, Danyelle Bernal, Darryn M. Bernal, and Tanner Bernal; her great-grandchildren, Thomas Bernal, Claire Bernal, Dayton Bernal, Brynn Bernal, Kamyrn Bernal, and Amilia Bernal; and her brother, John Franklin Lewis, Jr., sister-in-law, Lorna Rabon Lewis, niece and nephew, Joy Lewis Collier and Mark Warren Lewis, and their families.
Linda grew up in Cottonwood, Alabama, where she attended Cottonwood Elementary, Middle, and High School. She was salutatorian of her high school class, a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship, and later in life a member of MENSA. She played piano for Cottonwood United Methodist Church from sixth grade through high school and was Miss Cottonwood at the National Peanut Festival in Dothan. She was proud of her southern roots and always spoke fondly of her upbringing in Alabama.
She attended Auburn University, where she was a member of the education honorary and Delta Delta Delta Women’s Fraternity and graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Secondary Education, major in English, and a minor in speech education. She and Sam met during her freshman year, were married in 1963, and graduated together in 1964.
After graduation, Sam and Linda moved to Houston, Texas, where Linda was hired as an English teacher by Beverly Hills Intermediate School. She then took time off to have her children, John and Julie. While her children were small, she taught music to students at Asbury United Methodist Church Kindergarten and Pre-School. Once her children were in public school, she returned to teaching English at Park View Intermediate School.
The family moved to Kingwood, Texas at the end of 1977. In Kingwood, Linda began teaching speech, drama, and debate – first at Kingwood Middle School and later at Creekwood Middle School, where she was twice named Teacher of the Year. She and her students staged many plays and musicals together and set a fine record with trophies at many speech tournaments. She even learned to drive the bus her students would take to speech tournaments! She published a book of ideas for middle school mime shows that is still in print today.
After 21 years of marriage with Sam Dumas, Linda was widowed in 1984. In 1987, she met and married Red Bernal. Together they volunteered at the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo, hosted epic Cinco de Mayo parties, traveled and socialized with friends, and enjoyed life. Although she loved her students, Linda retired from teaching in 1991. She was ready to pursue other passions.
Linda was a gifted artist, and following her retirement, devoted more time to painting, sculpting, photography, and collage. She was a judge for the Houston Live Stock Show & Rodeo School Art Committee for decades and loved seeing all the amazing art created by the Houston area students. She was highly involved with the Kingwood Art Society, served multiple terms as president, and chaired the Kingwood Fine Art Festival with her daughter-in-law Kristin for many years. Her creativity also extended beyond visual art; there was nothing she found more satisfying than coming up with an inventive solution to repair something broken.
Linda was also devoted to serving women in the Kingwood community. She was instrumental in the creation of Family Time’s women’s shelter, “The Door,” providing the vision, leading the initial fundraising, and supporting it with her time and donations for many years. She was honored as a “Visionary” Woman of Achievement by Family Time in 1992 and as an “Angel Among Us” by the Kingwood Women’s Club in 1996.
Linda loved her family, she loved her friends, she loved her community, and she loved her church. Her legacy lives on in her children, stepchildren, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who attribute their love of animals and reading to her and will do their best to maintain her (extensive!) genealogical records. She will be dearly missed by all.
A visitation will be held at Kingwood Funeral Home on Thursday, September 26 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The funeral service will take place at Strawbridge United Methodist Church on Friday, September 27 at 10:00 a.m. with a reception from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Interment will follow at Rosewood Funeral Home and Cemetery in Humble, TX, at 1:30 p.m.
If you would like to make a donation in Linda’s name, the family suggests the following organizations that meant the most to her: HAAM Social Services, Lake Houston Area Artists, Strawbridge United Methodist Church, and Sola Gratia.
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