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Howe Fire Department honors Mike Rivard
Linda Keene, 1948-2018
Linda Jo Farrington Keene was born in Lawrenceburg, TN, on March 2, 1948 She put on her Lord Jesus Christ and was born again on August 16, 1962, when she was baptized for the remission of sins at the Woods St church of Christ in Sherman, TX Linda passed peacefully at her home in Quitman, TX, on August 15, 2018, from complications associated with Lewy Body Dementia
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Linda’s family moved to Sherman, TX, in the early 1950’s She graduated from Sherman High School and attended Grayson County College In 1970, Linda graduated from East Texas State University with a secondary English teaching degree
Interurban Alley welcomes Frances Pelley to speak at quarterly luncheon
The Howe Area Chamber of Commerce is part of a fourchamber partnership with Van Alstyne, Anna, and Melissa that have formed as Interurban Alley to help local business network and grow the local South Grayson County - North Collin County business corridor Next Tuesday, August 21, the group will feature Frances Pelley as the guest speaker at the event that will take place at Hurricane Creek Country Club from 11:30 am to 1 pm
Pelley is the President of ProTemPro, LLC She led the Texoma Council of Governments for over 20 years under the mantra “Connecting People to Solutions” Driven to find innovative solutions in response to community needs and social service gaps She is known for the turn-around of troubled non-profit agencies injecting leadership, vision, and strategic funding solutions She completed her tenure with TCOG with its 40th Anniversary Banquet and Fundraiser in 2008 to move into consulting Currently, Pelley is an interim executive leading transformational change as President of ProTemPro. Her most recent experience involves an agency in Oklahoma with over 500 employees and a $20M budget Pelley is a facilitator with Strategic Government Resources presenting over 40 courses in the past 10 years to public sector professionals She previously opened the Oklahoma market as SGR’s Oklahoma State Director for Training Pelley volunteers with Austin College, Reba Ranch House, Four Rivers Outreach, International Missions, and Texoma Health Foundation. Formerly adjunct professor with the Posey Leadership Institute at Austin College and community mentor over ten years, she also was the Founding President of Women of Visionary Influence, Red River chapter, which relocated to McKinney in January 2015 Pelley is married to an estate attorney, Scott Pelley, with two attorney sons, two granddaughters, and a second home in Colorado
Linda met Mark Keene at Woods St church of Christ in 1964, and they married on August 1, 1969 After marrying, the Keenes moved to Howe, TX, and began their teaching careers Mark taught math at Howe Middle School, and Linda taught English at Whitewright High School, then later at Howe Middle School Between the years of 1972-1976, the couple welcomed three daughters into their home; Casey Dawn, Heidi Janette, and Meg Leigh Linda put her teaching career on hold to be a stay-athome mama to her three girls Her children remember her as a kind, patient, and loving mother who, by example, reared them to live godly lives She was a generous individual who loved dedicating her time and energy to her family and friends She especially cherished camping trips and walking outdoors with her husband of 49 years
Linda was an educator at heart and was greatly appreciated by administrators, co-workers, students and parents Mrs Keene taught English for 30 years, however, she left her students with so much more. One of her firstyear students wrote, “My favorite teacher who really seems more like a friend than a teacher,” and a last year student added, “Your high spirits wake me up in the morning I’ve not just learned English in your class, but many life lessons that I will remember”
Linda was an active and dedicated member of the Howe church of Christ for 40 years and in 2008, the couple moved to Quitman, TX where she was a member of the Quitman church of Christ until her death Over the years, she served the Lord’s church by teaching cradle roll, VBS, visiting the elderly and sick, and preparing meals for those in need Linda is dearly missed by her loved ones, who celebrate the fact that she is at peace with her Creator
Linda is survived by her husband, Robert “Mark” Keene; her daughters Casey Dawn Keene
Busby and husband Mark Alan Busby of Coke, TX; Heidi Janette Keene Laux an husband Michael Andrew Laux of Camden, TN; and Meg Leigh Keene Day and husband Adam Lyn Day of Ramer, TN; her grandchildren Samantha Meidi Busby, Bailey Mozell Busby, Lexi Mae Busby, Tell Michael Laux, Silas Hugh Laux, Lynleigh Blair Day, Addi Lyn Day, and Russell Thomas Day; and her brother, Mark Steven Farrington
She is preceded in death by her parents, William Otho Farrington and Josephine Elizabeth Bruton Farrington; her aunt, Betty June Bruton; her uncle, Kenneth Bruton; one baby Keene; and one grandbaby Laux
A memorial service was held in honor of Linda’s Christian life at the Howe church of Christ on Saturday, August 18th, with visitation at 10:00am, memorial service at 11:00am, and an additional visitation for one hour after the service Burial will be in Tennessee at a later date
In lieu of flowers, Linda’s family requests that donations be made to: Medina’s Children Home, 21400 St Hwy 16 N, Medina, TX 78055; St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or In Search of the Lord’s Way, PO Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083
It’s no secret there are many different ideas about religion and spirituality I’ve studied different religions and even within my own faith of Christianity I have discovered there are many conflicting opinions concerning what God wants us to be and how we are to live At this time I will limit my views to the Christian faith because that is where I have spent more time in research and also declare my allegiance I must add that I have not “arrived” at some type of wisdom plateau or to be considered a Bible scholar but instead have a long way to go in my spiritual understanding In fact, it seems the more I learn the more I realize I do not know
I was raised in a traditional Baptist church in the sixties and seventies As I began to study on my own, I realized there were many other creeds and ideologies in the religious world that at least deserved careful consideration
I’ve also discovered the more time we spend sincerely praying and researching the Bible, the more questions we have about what we have been taught It’s true, that every denomination has different ideas and uses certain Bible passages to prove their points but with so many conflicting opinions we can see why there is so much division which also explains why God advises us to seek out our own salvation with fear and trembling I’m not suggesting that we turn away from reading and listening to other peoples views but we have a personal responsibility to seek the Lord and search for divine truth on our own “But the anointing which you have received of God abides in you, and you need not that any person teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things and is truth and not a lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him” I John 2:27 Bible teachers can help us learn but it’s much easier to trust and even pay someone else to study and explain their views than it is to become a disciplined Bible student Since we are referring to personal accountability, why would our private studies and prayers not be our highest priority?
It’s common knowledge that many ministers and teachers have certain areas they like to focus on For example, similar to how we have primary physicians along with a wide array of medical specialist, we also have pastors and evangelist who regularly preach salvation messages, some are known for Bible prophecy and eschatology, while other members of the clergy have a reputation for instructing about faith, positive thinking, and prosperity, etc Ministers should do what God is telling them to do, but I am also convinced that with each area of expertise there needs to be a more complete presentation within the context of the full gospel There is something wrong when someone picks out all the passages about how God wants to make us wealthy but does not emphasize that it’s more important to demonstrate God’s character Yes, we all want to eat chocolate cake and live a comfortable carefree life of blessings but this is not the foundation of our salvation nor the true meaning and purpose of life We should be alarmed how the olive press, the threshing floor, and God’s refining fire which are critical components of the Christian faith, are being replaced with deceptive feel-good philosophies
There is a divine order to the way God wants us to live and His desires must be first and foremost Our highest goals after we are born-again is to know and obey God’s voice, to learn and receive His word, to yield our will, develop faith, love, and live holy The Bible was not written to satisfy or justify our carnal flesh or to make us comfortable in our sins and neither are blessings given so that we might be absorbed in pleasures which distract us from knowing spiritual truth The disciple's mission is not easy or a popular subject because being crucified with Christ and taking up our cross is all about surrendering our will and allowing Jesus to be our Lord and to control our lives. The life-long commitment and responsibility of a Christian requires for the mind and conscience to be renewed into His image because unless we are changed from the inside out, Christ cannot be seen in us Read more at billyhollandministries com
