Linda Lou Watkins

Linda Lou Watkins, 77, of Murphy, Texas, passed away Wednesday, February 28, 2024. She was born to Steve and Mildred Porter in Sidney, Iowa, on August 22, 1946. Linda received her undergraduate degree from Stephens College and her master’s degree in music from University of Missouri. She was a music teacher in Iowa and Florida before moving to Dallas, Texas, to work as a reservationist at Braniff Airlines while pursuing flight lessons. It was at Braniff that she met her husband, Ed Watkins. They married in August 1982.

Linda enjoyed her career until the birth of her daughter, Rachel. A stay-at-home mom for the first few years, she later taught music lessons before discovering a passion for library science and returning to college to pursue her degree in this field. Linda was the beloved librarian of Good Shepherd School for many years, where she transformed the library there, personally curating almost every single book.

An active member of First Baptist Church of Murphy for nearly 40 years, she played the piano and keyboard for services, created beautiful Christmas and Easter programs as a former choir director, and took part in countless other activities including book club. She also shared her musical talent by volunteering to play concerts and singalongs at a local retirement community.

Linda also loved gardening and spending time tending to her flowers and plants. A quote she favored from Marcus Tullius Cicero reads: “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

Her steadfast faith in God was tangible through her every step. Her deep kindness and love for others, her unwavering grace and gentle spirit, and her patience and quiet strength through every adversity were an inspiration to everyone who had the honor to know her.

Linda was an incredible gift to this world, and she will be profoundly missed.

She is survived by her husband, Ed Watkins; her daughter, Rachel Watkins; her brother and sister-in-law, Stephen and Lindy Porter; her nephew Chris Porter; her sisters-in-law Maureen Cooney, Carolyn Watkins, and Mary Lou Watkins; along with other cousins and friends.