Linda Ruth Wilson, 80, loving mother, granny and aunt, as well as straight up firecracker, went to join her family on January 24, 2023.
Linda was born on November 17, 1942, in Rochester, New York to Lynd and Charlotte (Hastings Flickinger) Friel. She worked as an officer manager for much of her life before working at the Maricopa County Jail for many years. She raised two sons, Kenneth and Stephen, and two daughters, Christy and Theresa.
Linda had a passion for art, whether it was pencil drawing, her many beautiful paintings, or just taking the simplest household items and turning them into something special and personal. Most important to her, however, after living a life that never seemed to be easy, was laughter. This was the gift she gave to everyone she met. She had a sharp wit and a sharper tongue and managed to remind those around her that you can sometimes get through the toughest of times by viewing them from a less painful angle. Her strength in the face of tragedy was the stuff of literary heroines.
Linda was preceded in death by her father, Lynd, and her mother, Charlotte, as well as her sisters, Janie and Noreen, and her brother, Jack. Also preceding her were her daughter, Christy, and her son, Ken, and nieces and nephews she loved dearly. She is survived by her daughter, Tracy, and her son, Steve, as well as their spouses, Charlie and Debe, her many grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Getz Funeral Home on Bowman Ave. in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Flowers may be sent to 1410 E Bowman Ave, Las Cruces, NM 88001. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to either MD Anderson Cancer Center or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Linda Ruth Wilson (Friel), please visit our
Heartfelt Sympathies Store.
