
To Linda, with Love


in memoriam
Linda Noland Nation
1953 - 2024
There is something about love that makes an otherwise sensible writer of prose think he can compose poetry.
Somewhere around the midway point of my marriage to Linda, I was swept with an inspiration to try to express my love to her in a new way.
Some of the fruits of that season I am not too embarrassed to share with you.
Garry
Linda Nation of Rockwall, Texas passed away on October 31, 2024. She was 71 years old. Born in 1953 to Truman and Barbara Noland in Hico, Texas, she grew up in Weatherford, Texas where she also played in the band at Weatherford High School. After graduating high school in 1971, she went on to attend Weatherford College and afterward to Baylor University.
She graduated from Baylor in the spring of 1975 with a bachelor's degree in education, then went directly into classroom teaching in Everman, Texas. During this time, she met Garry Nation, a seminary student preparing for ministry. Their friendship grew into love, and they married in her hometown of Weatherford in the summer of 1978. By the end of the year, Garry had become pastor of a church in Weatherford as she continued to teach, transferring to Weatherford ISD where she taught until giving birth to her first child, Rachel, in 1981. Two sons were to follow, Aaron in early 1985 and Tim in late 1986.
She returned to the classroom at Harmony Christian School in Weatherford in 1989, where she taught until the family relocated to College Station, Texas in 1996. There she joined the teaching staff of Brazos Christian School, and later Bryan ISD at Crockett Elementary where she taught until retiring in 2016.
Besides being a dedicated teacher, minister's wife, and mother, she was also a gifted home baker of renown. When Garry began working as an actor, she became his most ardent supporter, avid fan, and reliable critic. Linda had a loving heart and a knack for knowing and meeting practical needs. She was everybody's “Mom” or “Nana,” and all the more so to her own children and grandchildren.
Linda is survived by her husband Garry of Rockwall; her daughter Rachel Simcik and her husband Alan Simcik of Temple, TX; her son Aaron of Allen, TX; her son Tim and his wife Jen Nation of Rowlett, TX; her grandsons Joshua, Micah, Luka, and Nathan Simcik; her granddaughters Norah and Ella Nation; her mother Barbara Noland, and her sister-in-law Pam Noland, both of Weatherford, TX. She is preceded in death by her father Truman Noland and her brother David Noland, both of Weatherford.
She was laid to rest at Rest Haven Memorial Park in Rockwall.
Directory
*These are "gimmick" poems, i.e., having an arbitrary structure, that I composed just for fun while sturdents were testing in our Christian school. After having some success with these, I put a little more seriousness into my work.
Essay: I Didn't Marry My Best Friend