FunNell, Linda Kay (Johnson) 1949-2020

Linda Kay (Johnson) FunNell, Who Stitched Together the Fabrics of Our Lives, Joined Our Lord at 71 She could be found every evening sitting in her arm chair in the living room, with piles of half-finished sewing projects everywhere around her. Sewing was the only place you’d ever find her sitting. A small stack of embroidery cards with threaded needles wound neatly around each one sat atop the end-table. Yards of fabric, and decks of varying plastic cases holding beads and embellishments for cross-stitch, crocheted, or sewn doll dresses filled shelves. Neatly sorted paper pieces, hand stitched to coordinating slightly larger pieces of fabrics, for appliqueing to one of the many quilt tops she was sewing together on one of her dozen or so sewing machines, rested on footstools. In middle school, Linda took her first home economics class, where she excelled making her own clothes, and later her uniforms to wear to work at the Paris Soda Shoppe, a pageant dress for the Miss Niles pageant, and a prom dress. “I would have been an honor student if all I ever had to take were home-ec classes…” she’d often tell her family. Sewing wasn’t the only occupation that filled her life. She and her loving husband, Michael Leslie FunNell, of fifty-three years began building their sustainable 10-acre hobby farm in the late sixties in Cass County. It was there that they raised three children, innumerable hogs, sheep, cows (that she milked) and their calves, goats, flocks and flocks of poultry of all varieties, always a cat and dog or two, vegetables, and her horses. For years and years, every Sunday after church and “dinner” she’d take her daughters for a trail ride. Although Linda was born January 17, 1949 in Mishawaka, Indiana, she was raised in the Niles, Michigan area by her parents Floyd and Mary Lou (Kelver) Johnson. She is preceded in death by them, and two (of four) brothers Kenneth Floyd and Karl Frederick. As a teenager she attended a square-dance in Newton Woods where she met Michael, also from Niles, a college student at Michigan State University who would later voluntarily enlist in the US Army during the Vietnam Conflict. On a weekend leave from the Army, Mike traveled home to Niles and married Linda on December 18, 1966 at St. Paul Lutheran Church where they were life-long members and served their congregation immeasurably. Following their union, they traveled back to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio together, followed by the remainder of Mike’s service at Vint Hill Farm Station in Virginia. Linda ultimately graduated from Osbourn High School in Manassas, Virginia in 1968. On the homestead they built with their hands, they welcomed a son and two daughters. Linda was employed with the Simplicity Pattern Company several times around the births of their children. Following her third child’s start to school she joined the union of the United States Postal Service where she was a rural letter carrier, retiring in 2011. Following her retirement, she enjoyed many quilting retreats and “shop-hops” with her quilting ladies and her best friend, including multiple trips to Paducah, Kentucky to the annual quilt show, and retreats in Alaska and Texas. Linda managed an unbounded level of enthusiasm for life, her family, hobbies, and service to others. She was a member of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League and Ladies’ Aid of St. Paul’s Church, the Niles Piecemakers Quilt Guild and Sweet Charity Sewing group. She served as a board member of many of these organizations, always stepped up to lead any gathering of family or friends, providing meals and warm fellowship, and also squeezed in monthly game nights of Bunco. She was an annual entrant in the open still exhibits at the Cass County Fair, regularly landing championship ribbons for her hand-sewn creations and farm-fresh eggs. Many in the area knew her as the “Mail Lady” or the “Egg Lady.” Linda passed peacefully with her husband and son at her side on June 3 in Mishawaka at the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. For the last five months she continued to fight to her last days a courageous and humbling battle with Stage 4 lung cancer. Her life continues to be admired and celebrated by her husband and their three children: Timothy (Pam) and their children Brandi (Tyler Richardson and their expected child) and Tyler all of Elkhart, daughter Deniece of Niles, and daughter Jessica (Tim Todd) of Saline and their children Andrew and Alexandra. She will always be remembered by her sisters- and brothers-in law, two surviving brothers Keith and Kerry, many cousins, and nieces and nephews. In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, her family will welcome family and friends for a brief visitation on Saturday, June 6, 2020, from 10:00am to 12:00pm at Brown Funeral Home, located at 521 East Main Street, Niles, Michigan 49120. A short service will follow the visitation presided by Revered Carl Bassett. In lieu of flowers, friends may send gifts to these charitable organizations: • Sew-loved.org – A South Bend organization with a mission to teach sewing and quilting classes to underserved and marginalized women. Their mission is to provide skills and practices through quilting to explore creativity and give back to the community. • Lutheranchurchcharities.org – Their mission is “to share the Mercy, Compassion, Presence, and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need” through Disaster and Crisis Response, K-9 Ministries, and bible studies.