Linda Taylor

Linda Wilsie was the firstborn to John Thiele Curtis and his wife Willie “Billie” Atkins Curtis on May 3rd, 1940 in a location debated to this day; however, you can bet it was exactly when and where Linda wanted because from day one it was abundantly clear, she would take control of any situation.

At the age of 10, Linda lost her mother to cancer and reluctantly assumed, but never relinquished, the role of matriarch.

It was a loss that shaped everything, including her faith. In rare moments when Linda spoke of her grief, she would say “there must be a Heaven because I couldn't spend the rest of my life believing that 10 years was all the time I’d ever have with my mother.”

Through sheer will and instinct, Linda taught herself to sew, cook, clean and overall care for her Daddy and younger brother John Thiele Jr. She embodied the Just-Do-It mantra long before Nike came along. Some of her fondest memories were the countless summer hours swimming in a “tank” with her brother and working various jobs at the Highway 70 Café in Ringling, OK for her Uncle Clark and Aunt Doris.

Afflicted with undiagnosed ADHD, Linda was prone to boredom. She was swiftly fired from her first “real” job as an elevator operator in Oklahoma City after sticking a bobby pin into one of the control panels just to see what would happen.

Linda’s priorities shifted in 1958 with the birth of Cynthia Lynn. Determined to make a better life for her and Cindy, she embarked on a professional career with Bookkeepers Business Service in Oklahoma City. As her professional skills developed, she managed to retain her natural charm. Early in her career the topic of conversation among management was her insistence to greet clients with a Zaneis area-inspired accent asking, “may I HEP You?“

Linda met Joe Mack Sykes in 1959 and with their blended family helped raise Cindy and Joe’s daughter Tambralyn. Together Linda and Joe welcomed Joe Michael in 1963. The family resided in San Bernardino, California, where they built a successful bookkeeping and tax consulting business. Linda’s previous work experience and Just Do-It attitude served her well in the family business. She was known around the office as the enforcer, handling everything from answering phones to training employees on how to handle clients and solve problems. On their infrequent breaks from developing the business, the family made memories riding motorcycles in the deserts of Southern California and took spontaneous Sunday trips to Knotts Berry Farm for chicken dinners.

Linda became “Grandmommie” when Amanda was born in 1981. She transitioned to part-time office work and babysitter without hesitation. Then along came John Curtis in 1983, Nicklaus in 1984, Lindsay in 1986 and by the time the twins, Justin and Scott, were born in 1992, she had her hands full preparing family meals and hiding the “good” crayons from the grandchildren. During this time, she also embraced another moniker- “The Nana”.

Often giving career and love advice to her grandchildren, Linda believed they could accomplish anything. Her life’s instructions were simple: “stand up for yourself,” “when you know, you know,” and perhaps most importantly, “deny, deny, deny.” Above all, her greatest joy was watching them thrive- a fact she made known in her phone calls, letters and texts/emails (when she could figure out the difference on her iPad).

Nobody expected a talking stuffed bear to change the course of Linda’s life, but in 1987 she attended grandson Curtis’s birthday with the same Teddy Ruxpin that Mark Taylor brought for his nephew. The coincidence led to the discovery of something deeper between the two. Unencumbered by the need to conform to conventional social norms, Linda and Mark’s 20-year age gap became another quirk to their enduring relationship. It was made official in 1995 when they married and Linda finally settled a long-standing dispute by agreeing to change her name yet again.

Sentimentality was a key attribute of Linda’s personality. The grandkids openly considered her a hoarder, as she placed an inexplicable value on a great many things. Paper, stamps, bags, boxes, and free pens from Markie’s various aerospace events. Within the family, it was a long-held belief that their home was one swag-bag away from being on the next episode of “Hoarders”.

Linda was blessed with five great-grandchildren, Adelyn, Elliott, Jolie, Brecken and Annie. Blending generations of families and loved ones was a strongly held desire of hers and she never allowed disagreements or breakups to come between family, believing “we don’t remove people, we recycle them”. Nana and Markie’s home became the epicenter for harmonious family gatherings and holidays. The unifying properties of Nana’s Christmas Chili are legendary.

Linda relished her later years in Lake Kiowa, Texas. Most mornings were spent at the breakfast table window cuddling her puppies while watching various species of birds and golf balls fly by. Summers were spent planting flowers with her daughter Cindy and taking many (many) trips to visit with Roberta Lynch at Des’ Veggies Nursery & Garden Center in Wilson, Oklahoma.

But even in retirement, Linda never lost her fiery spirit that served her so well in the family business. In her brief stint as a “greeter” at the First Baptist Church in Gainesville, Texas Linda was known to greet prospective parishioners with a warm smile, handshake and not-so-subtle instructions to adjust their inappropriate attire before returning to the next worship service. Surprisingly enough, attendance increased upon her retirement as the FBC Greeter.

Linda’s keen wit was on display even until the very end. As she lay in the hospital bed giving instructions to add ice to her water, change the room temperature and remove another blanket, Markie noticed she was somewhat exposed, saying “…we should cover you up better … nobody wants to see that…” Linda immediately replied, “Speak for yourself…that doctor is pretty cute.”

Her family finds comfort in knowing Nana is in Heaven sharing her extraordinary life story with her Mother, dancing the Schottische with her Daddy, and getting her son-in-law BJ’s goat.

You are invited to join the family as we celebrate the life of Linda on Saturday, March 21st, 2026 from 2-3PM at Alexander Gray Funeral Home, Wilson, Oklahoma. Following the service, Linda will be interred privately at Yellow Fork Cemetery “The Old Robinson Ranch” in Stephens County, TX.