Mrs. Linda Lindsey Norman, 74, of Abingdon, Virginia, formerly of Tifton, passed away Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at Ballad Health Hospice House in Bristol, Tennessee. Her funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, April 15, 2024, at Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church in Tifton with the Rev. Lee Ann Culbreath officiating. Linda will be laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery in a private family interment. The family will receive friends on Monday, April 15, 2024, in the Social Hall at Saint Anne's Episcopal Church in Tifton from 1:00 p.m. until the hour of the service.
Linda grew up on the family farm in Kelltown, a rural area just outside of Tifton, Georgia. As a child she excelled at all things artistic and won several 4-H titles for biscuit baking and needlepoint. She continued her love of the arts throughout her life and focused on them during her studies at Tift County High School and the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC). After graduating from ABAC, Linda taught herself calligraphy and, in turn, taught hundreds of students. She elegantly addressed thousands of invitations, birth certificates, and official documents, and served as the personal calligrapher for Governor Joe Frank Harris, for whom she drafted proclamations in Old English Script. Early in her life, she gravitated towards politics and held leadership positions in the local Democratic Party and worked for a time with the Georgia Legislature in Atlanta. Her political talents were recognized by Sen. Max Cleland, who tapped her to be a special assistant when he was the Georgia Secretary of State and Georgia’s U.S. Senator. She also served as campaign manager and political consultant for various local candidates.
Linda held a variety of professional positions. She was the Marketing Director for the Downtown Tifton Merchant’s Association. She was a graduate of the Leadership Georgia Program and later became one of its coordinators. Linda had a lifelong love for antiques and worked at several stores in Virginia where she sold and appraised items ranging from the colonial period to mid-century modern. She also was the sole curator of an exhibit on the Life and Times of Col. Henry Tift Meyers, Sr. She worked in the Tifton District Attorney’s Office and, when necessary, proudly produced her badge as a Special Deputy with the Crisp County Sherriff’s Department. However, the job that gave her the most pleasure was as co-owner of the Southern Station, with Mrs. Judy Jones. The shop was set up as a working home and drew in folks from throughout the southeast to peruse rooms filled with gourmet foods, imported soaps, and antiques.
Linda had an eclectic range of hobbies. She was an avid gardener and an active member of the Magnolia Garden Club during her life in Tifton. She loved animals and trained her beloved parakeet Pretty Boy over 40 phrases. She was known for her impeccable sense of style - she composed clothes and jewelry into statement ensembles, and created “natural beauty” with skillfully applied cosmetics. Her taste in interior decorating was flawless. Linda was a longtime amateur Egyptologist, a hobby that led her son to pursue a career in archaeology. Towards the end of her life, she and her husband Don held one of the world’s largest collections of Blenko Art Glass. She was a faithful member of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, where she loved her role on the kitchen staff. Those who knew her and loved her experienced her powerful imagination and knack for artful exaggeration. She was a gifted storyteller and could carry on a conversation with anyone, even when they did not share a common spoken language. For the last decade, she lived in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Abingdon, Virginia with her husband Don. She enjoyed four proper seasons, including winter with snow. She led the Edgemont Condominium homeowners association. She fawned over her beloved Shiatzus Bogey and Beau. They loved to snuggle up in the cold winters. Linda loved to entertain her Abingdon condominium complex neighbors and take friends and family to her favorite Abingdon restaurant, The Tavern.
She is preceded in death by paternal grandparents Mr. James Henry Lindsey and Mrs. Alma B. Lindsey; maternal grandparents Mr. Earl Clifton Snow and Mrs. Elzie W. Snow; her father, Mr. Lemmie James Lindsey; mother, Mrs. Lotus Amelia Snow Lindsey; husband, Mr. Turner William “Billy” Norman, Jr.; husband, Marvin Dixon; and best friends Mrs. Patsy Threadgill and Mrs. Kay Sumner.
She is survived by her brother; Mr. Michael J. Lindsey; son, Prof. Neil L. Norman; Daughter-in-Law, Mrs. Hope Taylor Norman; grandson, Mr. William J. R. Norman; granddaughter, Ms. Treva L. Norman; and husband, Mr. C. Donaree O’Briant.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 889, Tifton, GA 31793; or the American Research Center in Egypt at www.arce.org.