Linda Mae Bird, 77, of Marshall, Texas went home to be with her Lord on Tuesday, June 18, at Christus Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview, after a long battle with kidney disease.
Linda was born on October 19, 1946, to Fred and Nellie Conseen in Denver, Colorado. In 1964, she graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, also in Denver. Following high school, she attended Arlington Baptist College in Arlington, Texas. She also attended Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kansas, and Carden School of Teaching in California.
On June 10, 1967, she married the love of her life, Kent Bird, also of Denver. They grew up together attending Kent’s dad’s church. The two celebrated 57 years of marriage a week before her passing. To this union were born three children, LeeAnn Fowler of Oostburg, Wisconsin, Lynell McMillan of Cazenovia, Wisconsin, and Kevin Bird of Fort Worth, Texas.
Linda served alongside her husband, Kent, in his pastorates in Fort Lupton, Colorado; Prescott, Kansas; Plainview, Texas; and most recently in Marshall, Texas, for the past twenty-six years. Not only was she a pastor’s wife, but she also loved teaching and taught in a number of schools. She taught Sunday school teachers how to teach and led many ladies’ Bible classes. She knew sign language and Spanish. She was a talented artist. Her love for sewing and crafts was evident in the numerous gifts she gave to her family, friends, and nurses. She made beautiful cakes and gifted the young ladies of the church with their wedding cake.
At one point she owned her own homeschool book business, Christian Resource Connection. She did not make a lot of money at it because she often gave the books away when there was a financial need. She loved playing softball, fishing for bass, and playing (and teaching) the piano; usually as the church pianist.
Linda is deeply missed by her friends and surviving family whom she dearly loved: husband, Kent Bird; oldest daughter, LeeAnn (Earon) Fowler, grandson, Kyle; middle daughter, Lynell (Mike) McMillan, grandsons, Ethan, and Seth, and granddaughter, Eliana; son, Kevin (Laura) Bird, granddaughter, Lauren (Tate) Cooper and grandson, Luke. She is also survived by her dear sister Jean Roache, sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Fred and Nellie Conseen, in-laws, Kenneth and Adeline Bird, two brother-in-laws, Terry Roache, and Terry Bird, both this year.
If you knew Linda, you knew that she loved you and cared for you. She also cared passionately that everyone knew the same Lord that she had put her faith and trust in and had grown to love and longed to go Home to. In lieu of flowers, she requested that gifts be made to Bible and Literature Missionary Foundation at Biblelit.com, so that others could also come to know her Savior by receiving their own Bible.
Linda’s family wishes to thank the Fresenuis Dialysis care teams of Tyler and Carthage and Christus Good Shepherd Hospital ICU team of Longview and the Bell Street Baptist church family.
Visitation will be held at Downs Funeral Home in Marshall, Texas, 4608 Elysian Fields Road, on Friday, June 21, from 2 – 4 pm. A funeral service will be held on Saturday at 10:00 am with visitation an hour preceding the service. A graveside service will be held at the Fairview Cemetery at the corner of Lynoak and Oakly following the funeral service.
