Linda Jowers
Age - 78
November 23, 2023
"Linda Lee (Bird) Jowers went to be with the Lord on November 16, 2023. She was born on November 30, 1944, in Bryan, Texas, the daughter of Louella Joyce Shepherd (Bird) Davis. As a child, Linda loved reading, enjoyed school, and was an excellent student. She also spent much of her time watching over her two younger sisters, Virginia ("Gingie") and Joyce, while her mother worked. Linda learned to cook at an early age, a skill that was born of necessity but matured into a lifelong passion for entertaining and serving delicious food to all who entered her home. Linda met the love of her life, Al Jowers, when she was fifteen years old, and he was seventeen. She loved to tell the story of how she asked God to choose her husband for her and to give her an unmistakable sign when he came along. She also requested he have blue eyes. The first time Linda saw Al, she blurted out, "That is the man I'm going to marry!" She was as shocked as anyone else by her uncharacteristic outburst; God had answered her prayer and pointed out her future husband, who happens to have beautiful blue eyes. Al and Linda tied the knot on June 1, 1963. Throughout their 60 years of marriage, Al and Linda experienced the best and the worst life has to offer. They welcomed their first son, Raymond, on February 8, 1964. Their second son, Dennis, followed soon after on April 2, 1965. When Dennis was still a baby, they moved from Houston to El Paso, Texas, so Al could help his parents run the family business, a truck salvage yard. Linda loved being a homemaker and mothering her two sons. She had a true gift for hospitality and created a warm, welcoming, loving home for her family. They enjoyed many happy years together, working hard to build the family business and creating a thriving community with friends and neighbors. Some favorite memories include boy scout camping trips, orchestra and band fundraisers, and family vacations to Caballo Lake in New Mexico. On September 23, 1981, tragedy struck the Jowers family when Dennis died in a car accident. Linda struggled with the grief of losing her 16-year-old son and felt angry with God for allowing it to happen. Even during this difficult time, she leaned into her faith, continued to pray, and honestly expressed her anger to God. Linda often told the story about the pivotal day when she prayed and told God that, despite her feelings, she was deciding to continue to trust Him. That same day she implemented a habit of choosing one thing to thank God for each day, thus cultivating a habit/lifestyle of gratitude. Linda was artistic and creative. She maintained a life-long love of learning, and as she gradually emerged from the haze of intense grief, Linda began to take accounting classes and explore different creative outlets. This was often done with the encouragement (or insistence) of her best friend, Gloria Olney. Linda loved to entertain and took many cooking classes and even catered events. She also enjoyed birdwatching, calligraphy, painting, gardening, sewing (especially quilting), macrame, weaving (she had her own loom), and she loved working with clay to make decorative pots and bowls. She even had her own kiln. Linda also loved to travel. In 1990, Al, Linda, and Raymond relocated from El Paso, Texas to the Dallas area. Raymond and Rebecca were married on March 2, 1991, and from 1993-2000, Linda's four granddaughters were born: Amy, Katherine, Amanda, and Jessica. In 1990, Linda and Al joined Lake Pointe Church where Linda faithfully attended and served for the next 33 years. She volunteered every week in the church library with Rosemary Gray where she shared her love of reading and her love for Jesus with all she encountered. She also faithfully served for decades with Teresa Quick in the Precept Ministries Bible study classes. She prioritized her Bible study time, loved memorizing scripture, and was always humble and eager to learn more about the Bible. Linda loved being a grandmother and spent a lot of time with her granddaughters. Each of them has special memories of "Nana" teaching them to cook favorite recipes, going on golf cart rides looking for deer and birds, and playing countless card and board games together. Linda had a gift for making everyone feel special, loved, and valued. She was an excellent listener, and even though she worked extremely hard, she was never too busy to stop, listen, and spend time with anyone who needed her. When you walked into the room, Linda would stop what she was doing, her eyes lit up, she would greet you by name, and give you a warm hug. She always made you feel like you were the highlight of her day. Linda was a strong woman who made the most of each day she was given. In 2021, she fought and won a difficult battle with breast cancer and COVID. Despite her pain and suffering, Linda always had a sense of humor and optimism. She often expressed how grateful she was God had given her more time with her family. In 2022, Linda became a great-grandmother when Amy's son, Daniel was born. She delighted in snuggling Daniel and watching him play. Linda prayed for each of her granddaughter's future husbands and was grateful to see each one marry a kind, godly man: Amy to Caleb Waller (great-grand-son, Daniel Waller), Katherine to Mat (Aidan) Gill, Amanda to Ryan Franks, and Jessica to Drake Plumb. She is also survived by her husband of 60 years, Al Jowers; her son, Raymond and daughter-in-love, Rebecca; her sisters: Virginia "Gingie" Moore (husband, "B") and Joyce Morgan; and many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly. Linda's death was unexpected, but her last days are a testament to the life she lived. She was in the midst of studying for her next Precept Bible study class, preparing a meal for the bereaved family members of a dear friend, and sewing quilts for her granddaughters. In Mark 13, Jesus warned his disciples to keep watch and be prepared for his return one day. Verse 36 says, "If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. " Death came suddenly to Linda, but it did not find her sleeping. She was awake to God's purpose and presence in her life. She was active and alert, doing His work of loving Him, loving others, and serving them well. She will be greatly missed by all the family, friends, and loved ones who remain behind. We mourn for her and grieve our temporary separation, but we also celebrate, knowing that Linda is experiencing joy and peace everlasting in God's presence. She is seeing Jesus face to face, and we can only imagine that He is saying to her, "Well done, good and faithful servant. ""Show more
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