Linda Jo Donley

On September 17th, Linda Jo Donley was peacefully called home after bravely battling terminal cancer for several years.  She was born in rural Bell County, Texas in 1945 to Ruby Dell Karl and Joe Karl.  Linda had one sister, Louise Hampton, who resided in Ohio.  Linda was married to the love of her life, Dennis W. Donley, Sr., for almost 50 years before he was called home in 2013. Linda’s immediate family reside in Austin, Texas:  her son, Dennis W. Donley, Jr, (48), his wife, Lori Donley (44) and, perhaps most importantly to Linda, her two precious grandchildren, Dennis W. Donley, III (“Trey”) (7) and Connor Donley (5).  When Linda wasn’t with her immediate family, her extended, impressive Bell County family or her Taylor’s Valley Baptist Church family, she could often be found with one of her lifelong friends from Colorado or from Belton Schools, affectionately known as the Tiger Bell Queens.   Linda retired from Academy Independent School District where she touched the lives of many and made meaningful, lasting friendships; despite retirement, she remained a loving, kind and nurturing teacher every moment of her life. Blessed with a relentless resolve that could bend tempered steel and a Christian heart as big as Texas, Linda leaves a legacy of countless who love, cherish and miss her.   She was, in the words of her Grandchildren, “loved by everyone because she was so nice” and “the best Grandmom ever”.   Linda’s life was well lived and worthy of celebration.

Linda would often remark in her sly and coy way, “don’t send flowers to my funeral . . . because I will be already gone!”  Accordingly, in lieu of gifts or flowers, donations in her name could be made to either: https://www.teachforamerica.org/donate or https://www.peacecorps.gov/donate/ Both honor her joy as a teacher.

You do not have a soul.  You are a soul.  You have a body. Linda’s body is finally at peace and rest.

Visitation services will be held at Dossman Funeral Home in Belton, Texas on October 7, 2022, from 10am to 11am.  Family services will be held for her cremated remains at a private location later.

Mom, I will love you forever.”