Linda Vestal

Linda Gaye Vestal, 73, of Gallatin, Tennessee, passed away on Thursday, June 11th, 2020, at Sumner Regional Medical Center.

Linda was born in Sapulpa, Oklahoma on July 11th, 1946 to Raymond Corbus Johnisee, Sr and Hazel Pauline Thompson. Her family moved west while she was very young and she spent most of her childhood and formative years in California.
This is where she met and married the love of her life, Kenneth Vestal, son of Guy and Shirley Vestal, of Longview Washington. Ken and Linda were married on March 23rd, 1973. They built a life together with their three daughters just outside Salem, Oregon, in a little town called Aumsville. It is there they started their own software company, Design 3000 Inc, in a makeshift office in their home. Ken and Linda worked together, side by side, for most of their adult career, building their company from the ground up. They had truly created a successful family business that just grew and grew.

In Linda's younger years, she enjoyed gardening, boating, riding snowmobiles with her family and large group of friends, and cringing as she watched her kids and husband tear off onto the sand dunes on their 4 wheelers.
Linda also loved cooking, or better put, feeding people. She would spend hours, if not days, in the kitchen to prepare the most perfect holiday meals you could ever wish for. She was never afraid to try new recipes, but you could always depend on her to stay true to her crowd favorites that friends and family had come to expect at family gatherings. She just may have missed her calling as a chef!

Linda was a true People Person. She knew no stranger. She was a Giver. She was always thinking of others before herself. If you were a friend, or neighbor, there were plenty of times you opened your door to find her on your porch with a pot of chili or a tray of lasagna. She checked in on loved ones if she hadn't heard from them in a few days. She enjoyed looking out for others and was very protective of her family and friends.

Once Ken and Linda became Empty Nesters, they made Henderson, Nevada their home for a short while, before deciding to make the big move to Tennessee. Linda thrived in the South. She and her husband were able to spend much needed time together between their two homes and out on their boats, loving those hot Tennessee summers.

In more recent years, life slowed down, as it tends to do, when you're heading into your 70's. Linda still loved to cook, but she also rediscovered sewing and a newfound love for arts and crafts. She could do anything. She was so creative. You should have seen her beautiful embroidery, quilting and her crocheting... she created the most cherished blankets for friends and family.

Aside from Linda's human family, who were her other true loves? Her pets. She LOVED her pets. She was a sucker for a soft little kitten or a bouncy pup. She loved them all. Tiny or huge. German Shepherd or Shih Tzu. It didn't matter. And boy did they love her to the moon and back, as well!!

Linda is survived by her husband, Kenneth Vestal; Her three daughters, Shelley Vestal of Longview, Washington; Sherry McAllister (Brian McAllister) of Longview, Washington; and Shirley Vestal of Thompsons Station, Tennessee; Two grandsons, Devin Hudnall of Corvallis, Oregon and Cameron McAllister of Longview, Washington. She also leaves behind her two big brothers, Raymond Corbus Johnisee, Jr and Grant Eugene Johnisee, Sr, as well as many nephews and a niece and great nieces and nephews. And of course, her beloved Shih Tzus, Callie and Little Dude.

Linda's family would like to send out a heartfelt thank you to everyone who prayed for their family and who have helped them navigate these past few weeks. For everyone's safety, the family has chosen to not hold a service at this time. Linda will be buried in Longview, Washington alongside her husband's family members passed.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you make a donation to your favorite animal rescue.

We are all devastated here on earth, without her, but the sun will definitely be shining a bit brighter than before, with Linda up there helping God light up the world.