Linda Charity Gillespie, aged 70, died peacefully on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 after a nearly three-year struggle with cancer. Linda was born Friday, October 24, 1947 in Elgin, Illinois, the daughter of Lucille and William Lewis.
Linda graduated from Larkin High School in Elgin, Illinois in 1965. She went on to study elementary education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, from which she graduated in 1969. She taught first grade and kindergarten for several years before she married and started a family.
Linda enjoyed traveling and spending time with family. She thoroughly enjoyed cross-stitch, a talent that she developed for nearly 50 years. She left her family with dozens of landscapes and portraits as an apt memorial to her life and love of beauty.
In 1970, Linda married Dr. John J. Gillespie, and upon his completion of medical school, they lived in several cities throughout the Midwest, where they raised two sons, John M. and Jason W. Gillespie. In 1991, the family moved to Texas, and in 2015, she and her husband moved to Humble, Texas to be near their grandchildren, Audrey Noel and John Atticus Gillespie.
Along with her children and grandchildren, Linda was a member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Kingwood. And although limited by illness, Linda was active in several support groups and advocacy organizations related to cancer research, treatment, and care. She made every effort to support her grandchildren in their various activities.
Linda is survived by her husband, Dr. John J. Gillespie, her sons, John M. and Jason W. Gillespie, her daughter-in-law, Kelli L. Mitchell-Gillespie, her grandchildren, Audrey N. and John Atticus Gillespie, her sisters, Patricia Lewis-Fellows, Cindy Lewis-Majewski, and her brother, William Lewis. Likewise, she will be missed by numerous relatives and close friends.
Linda’s memorial service will be held at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Kingwood, Texas. Flowers and cards may be sent in care of her to 2929 Woodland Hills Drive, Kingwood, Texas 77339.