"But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me" (Ruth 1:16-17 NIV).

Linda Faye Townsend was born the firstborn of twin daughters to Elder John B. Townsend, Sr.  and Arcie Studdard Townsend on August 6, 1949. The fraternal twins were born minutes apart and their mother named them almost identical names: Linda Faye and Glenda Kaye. Linda and Glenda  became the third of four sets of twins born over a span of five generations. In their childhood they were inseparable and were often dressed alike. Though she was born second in birth order  in a large family of eight other children, her radiant and outgoing personality was a thing of beauty. Linda confessed hope in Christ Jesus at an early age and was baptized at the Taylor's Chapel Primitive Baptist Church. She was devoted to her family and devoted to her church family alike. Linda loved the sacred precincts of Taylor's Chapel and the place known as "Number Four Hall." She was an ardent student of Sunday School, B.T.U. Young People's Congress, and a member of the Youth Choir.

Her early education had its foundation in the kindergarten and then in the segregated school District of Huntsville, Alabama. Linda and Glenda attended kindergarten together at Clara Ward Kindergarten, then at Winston Street School, then Cavalry Hill School in her neighborhood,  where they were among six other sets of twins in the schoolhouse. When Glenda was enrolled in St. Joseph's School, "the first racially integrated elementary school in the state of Alabama," Linda and Glenda no longer dressed alike for the first time in their lives. After Huntsville became "the home to the first desegregated public school system in the state," Linda attended S.R. Butler High School. Upon graduation, she entered trade school and was then employed in the restaurant industry as she made her way in the world.

Although Linda was a twin, she was not a shrinking violet. She knew how to defend herself when the occasion arose and she never backed down from schoolyard bullies. Linda never forgot a face or anyone she ever met. She could recall the names of everyone in every grade she was in, and upon meeting someone she hadn't  seen in a while they chatted away. She would say, "well that's all I have to say" and then Linda would start the conversation up again.  She was gregarious and never kept a grudge. She was warm and assertive at the same time. Most of all, she was beloved, loving, and loved for her constant and consistent spirit of generosity and loving-kindness. She could cry if she disappointed you or you disappointed her,  and then turn on a dime and regale you with her hearty laughter. It is truly said, "to know Linda is to love Linda."  Through it all, Linda was blessed with a faith like Ruth of the Bible and she had a Ruth-like loyalty and enduring love (Ruth 1:16-17).

In 1979, Linda  relocated to Columbus, Georgia with her husband and daughter, Tiffany, and then  moved to Miami, Florida. After living and working in Miami for a decade or so, Linda returned to Huntsville in 1992. Linda was married twice and sadly both marriages ended in divorce. Afterward she resumed using her maiden name. Upon her return to her hometown, Linda began working in the skilled nursing facility industry. She was beloved for her superb bedside manners and  remarkable respect for patients. Her skill set redounded to the benefit of her parents and other loved ones, when she and her other siblings lovingly became caregivers for their parents, and their sister, Dianne.

Linda was the mother of Tiffany Nicole Courtney, her beloved and devoted daughter, and the loving  grandmother of Fredrick Lamont Thomas Jr., and Antwan Da'wright Green, her precious grandsons. Her world was devastated when  Fredrick, age 13, and Antwan, age 10, died tragically on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Almost 16 years later to the day, Linda departed this life and this earthly realm to be with God our Father and with Jesus Christ in heaven on Sunday morning February 11, 2024. Now she worships God in the beauty of holiness.

During the tragedy and the intervening years, Linda became a living example of a steadfast Christian faith and she exhibited an otherworldly presence of longanimity, which is best defined as the ratified ability to endure prolonged suffering with extreme patience, like Job in the Bible. As James writes: "Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful" (James 5:11).

This she did through tragedy, trials and tribulations, including her prolonged bout with cancer and then upon entering hospice care. Linda would tell those who came to comfort her "soon and very soon, I am going to see the King."  Linda not only loved the 23rd Psalm, more importantly, she knew the Good Shepherd. She was truly God's servant, loved Jesus with all her heart, and was the most gentle woman in the highest and best sense of that phrasing. Her quick wit and strong and unwavering Christian character were a hallmark of her time on this earth and was always an encouragement to her family and friends. She cared deeply for her family and neighbors. She did this not out of obligation, but because of who she was. She was always the first to offer help.

When Linda was perennially on the sick and shut-in lists at Taylor's Chapel P. B. Church in her latter years her visitors, friends, relatives and her devoted church family marveled at her fortitude, faith, perseverance, persistence and otherworldly stamina and endurance. She would call her fellow church members at Taylor's Chapel to fellowship with them via the telephone and request them to pick up her offerings and tithes even while she was in hospice and as Tiffany cared for her. As Deacon Robert Bullard and Sister Patricia Lane Bullard would attest: "Tiffany was an ANGEL caregiver. Our many, many visits to both the apartment and Tiffany's home found Linda being cared for….whether we went to receive tithes, to take food, or just because….Deacon Bullard and I were always welcomed into loving homes…a tribute to the parenting of her late parents."

It would be wrong to say that Linda lost her battle because she never stopped fighting. No matter how sick she was, she was always determined. When anyone else would have broken, Linda stayed strong. Through her, we know what resilience and perseverance truly look like. There was no quit in Linda. Just because she is no longer here, it doesn't mean she lost her fight or faith. Her faith in the Lord grew stronger. To the end, she often reflected on the halcyon days of her childhood with her family and friends.  When Linda was a schoolgirl, she and her friends would walk each other "a piece of the way home." This would go on for hours. It was one of her favorite pastimes.  Now Linda has gone all the way home. Though Linda "is absent from the body, she is present with the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:8). At long last, Linda  has gone to see the King, just as she knew she would. And King Jesus walked her home, escorted her into His kingdom,  and has welcomed her into His forever home in glory.

Linda Faye Townsend was predeceased by her parents, Elder John B. Townsend. Sr. and Arcie Studdard Townsend, her grandsons, Fredrick Lamont Thomas Jr., and Antwan Da'wright Green; and her sister Dianne Townsend. Ms. Linda Faye Townsend is survived by her Daughter; Tiffany Nicole Courtney and her siblings; Lorenzo D. (Annie) Townsend, Esq., Beverly Louise Townsend Hammonds, Glenda Kaye Townsend Woods, John B. (Frances) Townsend II, Dr. Thelma Marie Townsend, Clara Lynn Townsend Appleton, and Anthony Dwight (Valarie) Townsend. Linda  is also survived by her aunts and uncle: Margaret P. Dawkins and James (Joyce) Pearson; plus a host of cousins, relatives, kith and kin, and friends. and a host of loving nieces and nephews.

Psalm 23

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" (Psalm 23:1-6 KJV).

Her maternal great-grandparents, King Studdard, an original member of both the Deacon and Trustee Boards for the church; and Minerva Studdard, an original member of the Mother's Board; and her great-uncle, Deacon Freeman Studdard, were among the founding families of Taylor's Chapel Primitive Baptist Church in 1904. The center row of burial plots in the Number Four Hall-Taylor's Chapel Cemetery were reserved for the members of the founding families of the Taylor's Chapel Primitive Baptist Church, including the Studdards, explains Patricia Lane Bullard, the church historian. When she was perennially on the sick and shut-in lists at Taylor's Chapel in her latter years her visitors, friends, relatives and her devoted church family marveled at her fortitude, faith, perseverance, persistence and otherworldly stamina and endurance. As James writes: "Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful" (James 5:11). It would be wrong to say that Linda lost her battle because she never stopped fighting. No matter how sick she was, she was always determined. When anyone else would have broken, Linda stayed strong. Through her, we know what resilience and perseverance truly look like. There was no quit in Linda. Just because she is no longer here, it doesn't mean she lost her fight.

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Funeral service for Ms. Linda Faye Townsend will be Friday, February 23, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. at Taylor's Chapel Primitive Baptist Church.  Interment will be in Meadowlawn Garden of Peace.