Linda Darby Zipkin

She spent her entire life in South Tampa. Linda’s parents were Dwight and Jessie Darby, who raised Linda and her two beloved sisters, Becky and Ellen, on Dale Avenue in Beach Park. Growing up Linda and her sisters were surrounded by a very large family filled with love. The revered matriarch of the Darby family was her grandmother Tilly who lived for over 100 years, and Linda and her sisters grew up surrounded by aunts, uncles and many cousins with whom she was very close. Family reunions and gatherings were a frequent occurrence in Lake City, FL, Homosassa, FL, and Tryon, NC - and they were always marked by love, laughter and the joy of a large family.

Linda graduated from Plant High School. Her first son was Trae, followed a few years later by her second son Matthew. Being a mother was her favorite job in the world and she was amazing at it. During this time, she also took on the role as step-mother to Mark, Melanie and Jeff Williams. She loved her step-children as if they were her own. Her family was always her number one priority over anything else.

Linda also had a very successful career in banking. She was a branch manager at several popular South Tampa banks and was highly respected in the banking industry in Tampa.

In the late 1970s, Linda met the love of her life Louis Zipkin, they got married, and once again she took on the role as step-mother to Lou’s two children Todd and Nancy. Lou’s large family became Linda’s family and she dearly loved Lou’s parents, his brothers, their wives, and their children and grandchildren. Linda’s life with Lou was filled with romance, laughter, friendships, family, wonderful trips to New York and New Jersey to see Lou’s family, vacations to see her sons and her grandchildren, and most of all an unbreakable bond of over 40 years of love and marriage.

Linda’s first grandson was Trae’s son Joshua, followed by Matthew’s three sons Chase, Grayson and Gavin. Linda loved being a grandmother. She considered her son’s spouses, Traci, Rebecca, Maki and Kelly, to be her own daughters. She also loved her sisters’ families dearly, and loved being an aunt to her nephew Chuck, and nieces Leslie and Darby.

Linda simply loved being surrounded by her family. It was her greatest joy in life.

Later in life Linda faced many obstacles, and took on the role of caretaker numerous times – a role she never hesitated to assume. She faced the devastating losses of her two sisters, Becky and Ellen, far too early in life, as well as the loss of her parents. She cared for both Ellen and her father Dwight during their end of life health challenges, and towards the end of her life also cared for her beloved husband Lou as he faced numerous health concerns.

The loss of her husband Lou in 2021 was a loss she could never recover from.

Like many who lose a beloved spouse, Linda ultimately died of a broken heart. But by the grace of God, Linda has now been reunited in Heaven with Lou, her sisters, her parents, and so many other loved ones that she lost during her lifetime. Her broken heart is healed and she is surrounded by the love and warmth of God and her family.

Linda is survived by her sons Trae and Matthew, their spouses Kelly and Maki, her grandson Joshua and his mother Traci, her grandsons Chase, Grayson and Gavin and their mother Rebecca, her step-children Melanie Parker and Jeff Williams and their family, and Todd and Nancy Zipkin.

Linda’s family would like to recognize the amazing caretakers at Brookdale Assisted Living who helped care for Linda the last couple of years, as well as the dedicated and selfless staff at Melech Hospice House in Temple Terrace. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Life Path Hospice and the Melech Hospice House in Tampa.