Linda Lee Jackson

Linda Lee (Smith) Jackson, 74, of The Woodlands, Texas, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday morning, November 7, 2023, in Conroe, Texas, after enduring multiple health battles over the past three years. She had sold almost everything she owned and was preparing to travel in her RV to tell others about Jesus when she first became ill. During many surgeries, hospital stays and doctors’ visits, she told everyone she could that Jesus was their answer. After praying and believing the Lord for physical healing on this Earth, she received her ultimate healing in the arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus. She fought the good fight of true faith and has finished her race, staying faithful to the Lord while battling and overcoming many trials, tribulations and difficulties in her lifetime.

Born June 1, 1949, in Boonville, Missouri, to Ralph and Mildred Smith, Linda was the only child in this union and had two older half-brothers, Jon Seabaugh and Kenneth Seabaugh, whom she loved. At the age of two, the family moved to Lovington, New Mexico, where her father worked as a mechanic at the John Deere dealership and her mother was an accomplished seamstress working from home. She attended Lovington schools, where she met and married the father of her only daughter, Kimberly Monique (Morgan) Sutton, her only treasure she carried under her heart, she would say, and still has many life-long friends there.

Linda lived a varied and interesting life and worked more than 30 different types of jobs throughout her career. Known as the “Radio Lady,” and with her gift of gab, she made a great on-air radio personality, copywriter and advertising salesperson, working at radio stations in Seminole, TX; Carlsbad, Hobbs, Lovington and Roswell, N.M. For almost five years, she worked as a long-haul truck driver with her second husband, Wayne A. Ralph, and they drove through almost every state with their “Truckin’ for Jesus” mudflaps on the back. She also drove a school bus for Conroe ISD where one year she made a positive impact on the troublemaker who sat in the back of the bus. When she was a single mother, she worked graveyard shifts at the Imperial Sugar factory in Sugar Land, TX, bagging five pounds of sugar, and was the first woman employee in an all-male machine shop in the early 1970’s in Olathe, Kansas.

She was an extra-extrovert who loved being with people, swimming and doing water aerobics, storytelling, RVing in her vintage “canned ham”, sitting around the campfire with friends, creating art, and collecting vintage items, especially from the 1950’s. She owned and operated an online Etsy Store called The Thriving Artist and won awards and ribbons for her art pieces and even started a Facebook group called The Lawn Chair Ministry where she inspired her followers by pointing them to Jesus. https://www.facebook.com/TheThrivingArtistStudio . She had a desire to create art from an early age and her work is in many churches, homes, a hospital, a home for abused children, and a nursing home.

She described her creative process as the “pray and paint method” and was a self-taught oil painter. She traveled extensively across the country and brought varied experiences to her art. As a member of The Woodlands Art League and The Conroe Art League, she was always looking for new ideas and techniques, and enjoyed being involved in the artist community, going to all the places and doing projects that the world of art brings.

She faithfully attended North Central Assembly of God Church in Spring for more than 20 years where she served in the women’s ministry, visiting the sick at nursing homes, sang hymns and played her harmonica for the residents. For many years, she also attended the weekly Community Bible Study (CBS) each year at The Woodlands Methodist Church, where she met many close friends and enjoyed their fellowship.

Her life was like night and day after she accepted Jesus as her Savior in 1977. From living the bar scene, drinking, dancing and playing pool about every weekend, she was invited to a home bible study where her heart and life was transformed. She was supernaturally delivered from cigarette addiction three months later and never smoked again. Her heart’s desire was to tell everyone about her Jesus and what He had done for her in her life.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Mildred Smith of Lovington, New Mexico, and her rescue dog, Freddy who kept her company on their many vintage trailer excursions.

She is survived by her only daughter, Kimberly Sutton and her husband, Rick; and three precious grandchildren whom she loved, Kayla Munoz, her husband Chris, Rachael Sutton and Josiah Sutton; and great-granddaughter, Lily. Also, she is survived by her two older brothers, Jon Seabaugh and his wife Kaye of Cleveland, Missouri, and Kenneth Seabaugh and his wife Barbara of Raytown, Missouri; and many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. She held a special place in her heart for all of her friends and neighbors and those in the Vintage Trailer community and the RV world, no matter where they lived.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at North Central Church, 25130 Aldine Westfield Road, Spring, Texas, 77373 on Saturday, January 13, at 11 a.m. with a lunch being served immediately following. Plan to stay and visit and tell your own stories of your friendship with Linda.