complications related to a stroke at the age of 77 years. She was born in Memphis, TN May 7, 1946. She is preceded in death by her mother Eileen Taylor Mason and Brother Danny "The Voice" Taylor. She is survived by her children Deborah O'Neal (Ray Derr), St Charles, MO; Ervin O'Neal (Mary) Hot Springs Village, AR and her best friend Bonnie Keeley, Boynton Beach, Fl. She will also be fondly remembered by her nieces and nephews.
Linda was raised in Memphis where she worked as a head checker and dairy manager in the local grocery store as well as a bar manager for Holiday Inn. In Memphis she enjoyed planning/hosting family and friend gatherings, cooking and hunting.
In 1986, Linda moved to South Florida where her Mother and brother lived. She applied and was accepted to the Corrections Academy. She loved being a Palm Beach County Deputy Sheriff. During her years with the Sheriff's department she worked in Corrections, she also worked with the C.O.P. program, the Stockade, Intake at the main jail then transferring to Court Security before retiring after over 27 years of service. She received several commendations and outstanding evaluations. Words used to describe her on the job were, dependable, dedicated, strong, hard, stubborn, fair, persistent and fearless.
Linda was an adventurous traveler. She and Bonnie traveled all over the world. She was known to say she knew she had to retire, because work got in the way of her cruising. Linda achieved the Elite status on the Princess Cruise line but she was most proud of her Pinnacle status with Royal Caribbean Cruise line. She told everyone her favorite ship was The Oasis of the Seas.
Linda made lifelong friends within the cruising industry. She was known by the crew as the Lollipop Lady because she gave a lollipop to every crew member she came in contact with. She loved nothing more than sharing her travel stories with all she met. It would be hard pressed to say where her favorite destination to travel would have been. She loved every place she went. She knew how to experience the most out of every trip. A private tour guide was the best way to go. You could frequently hear her telling about her adventures. In the Outback and Aires Rock as well as climbing the Sydney Bridge in Australia.
She made many close friends over the years and is known by them as having a generous loving heart. You could truly say she had friends all around the world. Those who knew her well knew she always did things her way and her death was no different. She will never be forgotten as she left a memory with everyone she met.
The Celebration of Life with family and friends will be held Saturday November 4, 2023 from 2pm to 4:30pm at Dorsey-E. Smith Memory Gardens Funeral Home, 3041 Kirk Road, Lake Worth, FL 33461.
Memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choosing in her memory.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.dorsey-smithmemorygardens.com for the O'Neal family.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
v.1.9.5