LINDA LU CHILDS
Nov. 9, 1954–Sept. 24, 2024
Please join us for a Celebration of Life in loving memory of Linda Lu Childs, on May 24. A gravesite service at the Upton Greenwood Cemetery will begin at noon, followed by a meal at the Upton Community Building.
Linda passed away Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, at her home in Houston, Texas, from pancreatic cancer, with Greg Layton — the love of her life — at her side.
Linda was born Nov. 9, 1954, to Lyndon and Lydia (Rinehart) Childs in Newcastle, Wyoming. She spent the first seven years of her life in a very remote home in southern Weston County with her parents and siblings, Louis, Laura, Larry and Luann. She attended her first two years of school at the Darlington Country School with six other students. They moved into the rock house south of Upton where she completed third grade through high school at Upton, graduating in 1973 as valedictorian of her class.
Linda was very intelligent and her high grades always came easy. While in high school she excelled in math and was one of the youngest to participate in a math study during the summer between her sophomore and junior years in high school. After taking a test, Linda was selected and participated in the Advanced Mathematical Theory Study with the top 36 math students in the United States, at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. She also attended Girls State.
Linda attended the University of Wyoming, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor of science degree in business. Her first job was in Dallas, Texas, with a marketing firm. After a year, she moved back to Wyoming and worked for 10 years in the information technology department for Mini Mart, who had their home office in Casper, Wyoming. Next, she was recruited by a Mini Mart contractor, Distribution Architect International, a software company located in Tempe, Arizona. She spent much of her time traveling to the many large corporate clients throughout the country, being the liaison between the client and the Program Technicians at DAI. After she was officially named a partner of DAI they transferred her to the Reading, England, office for three years, serving large corporate companies throughout Europe. After DAI was sold and restructured, Linda worked for a previous DAI client, Home Interior, with their home office in Dallas. She finished her career working from home in Houston, Texas, with Stella & Dot, a jewelry company, and retired in 2020.
Linda spent her leisure time putting together jigsaw puzzles and traveling throughout the United States, watching Greg play basketball for the Huston Ball Hogs. His team played for the Senior Olympics and won the gold many times. She was also an active supporter of the Rice University girls’ basketball team. Linda loved the Houston Astros and very rarely would she miss watching a game. Linda stayed close to many friends and cousins through out her life and visited them every chance she got.
She especially loved her two nieces, two nephews, four great-nieces and two great-nephews. She would shower them with special gifts that only she could find. Linda also spent many hours baking and cooking with the best teacher, her mother. They made homemade rolls, pie crusts, homemade noodles, cakes, and cranberry salads for all the family holiday meals in Wyoming. She also loved pumpkins in any form from the time she was a small child.
Linda is survived by her husband, Greg Layton of Houston, mother, Lydia (Rinehart) Childs; brothers, Louis Childs of Casa Grande, Arizona, Larry (Alene) Childs of Trinidad, Colorado; sister, Laura (Dick Stull) of Gillette, Wyoming; nieces, Deena (Alex) Wolf of Casper, Jodene (Christopher) Foy of Severance, Colorado; nephews, Wyatt (Christina) Childs of Belton, Texas, Tell Childs of Trinadad; great-nieces, Lorelai Wolf, Piper Wolf, Ella Foy, Sydney Childs; and great-nephews, Paxton Foy and Orrin Childs.
She was preceded in death by her father, Lyndon Childs; and her sister, Luann (Dennis) Borgialli.