Linda J. Thomas

Linda Thomas, 71 of Kearney passed away Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at her home in Kearney. Memorial services will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 3, 2025 at Kearney First United Methodist Church in Kearney with Pastor Jo Ellen Axthelm officiating. Inurnment will follow at Kearney Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Kearney First United Methodist Church. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. Services are entrusted to O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services. Linda was born June 14, 1954 in Kearney, NE to Harold and Norma (Kreps) Teasley. Later in life, she was adopted by Paul and Alice Knecht. She graduated from Wood River High School in 1972. Linda married Gary Thomas on August 4, 1973 in Wood River, NE. The couple was blessed with three children, Jennifer, Brenton and Laura. In her younger years Linda worked as a waitress at her parents’ restaurants before relocating to 29 Palms, CA then later Santa Ana, CA on account of Gary’s Marine Corps assignment. It was there that they started a family with the birth of Jennifer. They later returned to Kearney where Linda worked at Baldwin Filters in Quality Control. They welcomed Brenton, then Laura and stayed home to care for them while they were young. Linda worked as a para at Northeast, Glenwood and Sunrise Middle School. She worked for Hallmark, Ruter’s, and finally as an Orthodontic assistant at Prososki’s Orthodontic Clinic. Linda coached softball for many years and led a team in Odyssey of the Mind. She always made it to her children’s games, concerts, and competitions. Linda enjoyed iced tea, and drank at least a gallon a day. She loved to read, plant flowers, be near the water, and travel to National Parks. She found it her personal mission to find a really good watermelon. Linda also enjoyed cleaning, organizing, and decorating for Christmas. She loved the many dogs they had over the years, and carried that love to her fur grandbabies that wiggled in delight as soon as they set eyes on her when she came to visit. What she loved more than anything was her grandchildren Ella, Ava, and Grayson. Nothing made her happier than spending time with them and watching them grow. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Gary Thomas of Kearney; son Brenton Thomas of Omaha; daughter, Laura Marshall of Broken Bow, NE; grandchildren, Ella and Ava Marshall and Grayson Thomas; brother, Darwin Knecht of Wood River; and several extended family members and friends. Linda was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Jennifer Thomas; sisters, Barbara Alonzo and Charlene Weber; and her brother, Darrell Knecht.

Linda J. Thomas

June 14, 1954 - June 25, 2025