Linda Jean Pilcher, 75 of Vernon, Texas passed away on Monday, March 27, 2023, in Vernon, Texas.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 30, 2023, at 2:00 pm at Sullivan Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Bryan Nix officiating. Burial will follow at Wilbarger Memorial Park under the direction of Sullivan Funeral Home.

Linda was born in Cooke County at Gainesville, TX on August 1, 1947 to Robert Lee and Louise Woosley Gilbert. Her parents came to Wilbarger County at Odell, TX in September, 1949, as she had just turned two years old. Her dad started his career with the Santa Fe Railroad at that time and this caused the family to move several times during Linda's childhood. She went to 1 ^st grade at Odell Grade School and 2 ^nd , 3 ^rd and part of the 4 ^th grade at Highland School at Maryneal, TX and the rest of the 4 ^th and almost all of the 5 ^th grade at Crowell Grade School, but the family lived at Truscott, TX. The family then moved back to Odell, TX where she finished the 5 ^th , 6 ^th , 7 ^th , and 8 ^th grades at the Odell School and went to all four years of high school at Chillicothe High School at Chillicothe, TX, where she graduated as Salutatorian of her class. She also attended Foard County School of Nursing in 1965-1966 and became a licensed nurse (LVN). Linda was the oldest of four children. The other siblings were a brother, Billy James Gilbert, a sister, Jo Ann Gilbert Marquart, and a brother, Charles Allen Gilbert.

Roger and Linda started dating in high school at age sixteen. They were married at the age of nineteen on April 1, 1967, at the home of her parents in Odell, TX. The couple lived in Vernon, TX all of their married life. They had two sons, Rodney Lynn, born on November 24, 1967 and Cody Brent, born on September 4, 1978.

Linda worked in nursing for seven years with jobs at the Chillicothe Hospital and at a nursing home in Vernon. She then worked in various positions at the Vernon State Hospital for almost ten years before she went to work at Texas A&M Research Center at Lockett, TX, where she finished her working career after being there for about eighteen years. Linda grew up attending the Church of Christ and was baptized into the church at age thirteen. She and Roger placed their membership with the Wilbarger Street Church of Christ in 1976, where she was a member until her death.

Linda loved her family very much and her main goal in her life was to take care of them. Her proudest moments were when Roger was baptized into the church and when each of her sons were baptized into the church and when each of her sons found their soul mates. Linda felt her two best assets were keeping a clean house, which she tried to pass those skills on to her sons, and cooking. Both of the sons learned the cleaning skills, but only one learned the cooking skills. It was a known fact if there was a cake or dessert of some type being made, it would not stay at the home for the family to eat. It usually went somewhere else. She loved to collect items and if she had two of anything, she considered it to be a collection. She often said that her collecting was not a hobby, but an illness. She and Roger traveled many back roads of this country to stop at flea markets, junk stores and antique malls.

Linda was a devoted animal lover. She took in strays in the neighborhood until Roger said "enough". She had many dogs through the years and, after she retired, the stray cats started coming up and, of course, she had to feed them and then they became part of the family and that meant more animals to go see the vet. At the time of her death, she had five cats and two dogs.

Linda was very shy as a young girl, but she made several close friends through the years. She had two really good friends at Maryneal, Sandra Alexander Light and Lynda Hill Hall, and a really close childhood friend, Janell Hammonds Farmer, who was her partner in crime during her high school years. She and Janell have kept a close relationship through the many years. Linda also stayed in touch with many of her high school classmates. She and Roger also made some wonderful couple friends from the church and they were always together with these friends in all types of activities while their kids were growing up and they have remained close all of these years. She loved Richard and Karen Ham, Freddie and Pam Wilhelm, and Pat and Vicky Pollard. She also had an aunt, whom she was very close with and they practically grew up together. This aunt, Barbara Woosley, was her mother's baby sister and was younger than Linda. After Barbara married Tom Hinsley, they all remained very close and took many family vacations together.

Linda was thrilled when she finally got a daughter-in-law. Rodney married Shelly Bowling, and she finally had a grandson, Nathan Bowling. This occurred in June, 2008.

Linda is survived by her husband, Roger Pilcher, of the home, son, Rodney Lynn Pilcher, and his wife, Shelly, of Sherman, TX and son, Cody Brent Pilcher of Princeton, TX. Also, one grandson, Nathan Bowling; a brother, Billy Gilbert, and his wife, Cindy, of Denton and a sister, Jo Ann Marquart, and her friend, Roddy Clark, of Chillicothe. She has several nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews and cousins that survive her as well as Roger's family.

Linda was preceded in death by her baby brother, Charles Allen (Chuck) Gilbert on February 26, 2008, her dad, Robert Lee Gilbert, on July 13, 2010, and her mother, Louise Woosley Gilbert on October 31, 2011, along with both of her paternal and maternal grandparents and several aunts and uncles and cousins.

Memorials can be made to Westview Boys Home, Tipton's Children Home, or Wilbarger Humane Society.

Visitation will be Thursday, March 30, 2023 from 12:30 pm until service begins at Sullivan Funeral Home.