Linda Brinkley

Linda Brinkley, 77, passed away at her home, surrounded by her loving family, on Monday evening, July 27, 2020.  Linda was born in Corpus Christi, to Ira Dell Creel and Ruby Florence Foehner Creel, on June 24, 1943.  Growing up by the beach, she developed a lifelong disdain for wind and water, which was always a family joke.  She developed a passion for tennis when she played in highschool and followed the professional circuit religiously, never missing a Grand Slam tournament, even fulfilling a dream of hers to travel to England to attend Wimbledon.  Everyone just knew never to call and interrupt when she was watching a match on television.

With only a high school diploma, she worked her way up from an assistant to a pharmaceutical sales manager, all while raising two kids on her own. Her work ethic and customer service are renowned.

Linda realized later in life she had an incredible talent for photography.  It was from then on, we never saw her beautiful face in any of the family photos because she was always behind the camera. As a photographer, she won many awards, First-Place at the Texas State Fair for Sunsets. She was a passionate dog lover and always considered her dogs as members of the family.  Her beloved Havanese Elly Bleu won the local Halloween costume contest for pets so many times that she became winner emeritus and even had her own Facebook page which brought joy to many lives. She loved to read, especially mysteries and stories set in small southern town; she kept a notebook of all the books she had ever read by author name with five stars being the best.  Linda herself was a great writer and editor which began in high school when she was on the school newspaper. She wrote stories with flare and humor, which were positively uplifting and brought people together online.

Linda adored her grandson, Duke Brinkley and was so proud of his accomplishments, saving all of his play programs. Nothing could get in the way of her seeing her grandson, she even loaded up her oxygen machine and made the trip to go see him in Frisco.  She would often tell the story of when he was born, she went to the nursey to see him for the first time and couldn’t find him until she saw this little fist shoot through the blanket and wave and she knew it was him.

Linda was a fighter and persevered and made the best of her diagnosis and never complained about her chronic illness. In the ICU, she was a source of inspiration, she would insist on walking down the hall on a ventilator, and always had her hair and makeup done to perfection. It was always comical to witness the people visiting other ICU patients, how incredulous they looked at us when they saw us having Farkle tournaments, laughing and rolling dice.  She also inspired countless young doctors, who observed firsthand how medicine was not just about physiology, but also about the heart and spirit.

We will forever be reminded of her love whenever we see a hummingbird, monarch butterfly, or cardinal.  Linda loved it when her daughter, Shannon planted butterfly weed by the porch, so she could watch the monarchs to come through every year; of course, she had to take lots of pictures.

Linda is preceded by her father, Ira Dell Creel; brother, Gerald Creel; sister-in-law, Mickey Creel. She leaves to cherish her memories and be a source of inspiration to her partner of 36 years, Herndon Williams and their dog Elly Bleu; her son, Todd Brinkley and wife Holly; her grandson, Duke Brinkley; her daughter, Shannon Brinkley;  her mother, Ruby Creel; her sister, Judy and husband Jim Trevathan; and many more extend family and dear friends.  Fly free, Mom, we love you.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made in Linda’s Memory to Living Grace Canine Ranch, which serves senior pets not usually adopted - a meaningful cause to Linda.