Obituary for Linda M Hollinger
Into My Joy--Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant. These were the words that Linda Marie (Johnson) Hollinger heard on Monday, August 11, 2014 as she passed into eternal rest after a hard fought battle and short illness. Linda was a giving person who gave not only her time, but her love, resources, and knowledge with those who she met along this journey. Linda was born on December 31, 1947 to Betty L. (Black) Johnson and William Johnson. She met friends and enjoyed the company of family while growing up on Bittaker Street in East Akron. She attended Robinson Elementary in East Akron and Goodyear Junior High before her family moved to the Garfield cluster. She then continued her education at Roswell Kent and graduated from Garfield High School in 1965. From there she attended Ohio University for two years and graduated in 1969 from The University of Akron with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. Linda was a lifelong educator who first taught at Lincoln Elementary Linda was diagnosed with a disease called Lymphangioleiomyomatosis or LAM. It is a genetic disease that attacked her lungs. Once diagnosed, she started to make the treks to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation where she encountered exceptional doctors like Marie Budev, Alejandro Arollaga, and Atul Mehta who worked on Linda until she received a most precious gift- a double lung transplant from a donor on December 9, 1999. This miraculous gift allowed her to enjoy her retirement, see her granddaughter grow from a toddler to a teenager, care for her mother, gain a son-in-law and two grandsons, and most of all continue the work that she loved the most- volunteering and serving in the church she joined as a child. She loved engaging young minds and unlocking their potential. She taught in the Akron Public School System for many years last teaching at Glover Elementary School and retiring in 1998.
Linda joined St. John CME Church as a child and continued her work there in various capacities. She enjoyed the work of the church, but more than that she loved the Lord. She answered the call that the Lord gave her by faithful service and a professed love for her savior Jesus Christ. Teaching Sunday school and her involvement in the social concerns ministry were just two of the ways she showed her love to people. Linda married Michael D. Hollinger and they had two daughters who both share in their mother''''''''s passion for education. They have excelled in life through the love, prayers, and sacrifice of Linda which allowed them to both to obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees. She was a devoted wife and continued to be Michael''''''''s friend even after they decided to end their marriage. She was a great friend to many and mentor to others. There is no measure to the impact that Linda''''''''s life had on those who met her and those that loved her. She was a strong woman who equipped her children with a sense of self and a drive to get things accomplished. She was compassionate and loving enough to be the safe soft place for her friends and those that needed her. She loved researching her family history and learning about her ancestry. She was an avid watcher of all NCIS, CSI, and Law & Order SVU episodes. Nothing could make her break away from General Hospital or her favorite basketball player Kevin Durant. She was a woman who had various interests and loved to learn. A daily crossword puzzle kept her mind sharp and her dictionary was in constant motion. The world is a better place because of her and we thank the Lord for his time in creating her. She was preceded in death by her father, William H. Johnson. Left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Melissa R. Hollinger of Akron, Ohio, and Brandie H. Peeples (John) of Arlington, Va.; her mother, Betty L. Johnson of Akron, Ohio; beloved granddaughter, London M. Hollinger of Akron, Ohio; and grandsons, Regis A. Peeples of Washington, D.C. and DeVaughn Reid of Akron, Ohio; mother-in-law, Lucille Hollinger; sister-in-law, Stephanie Hollinger; brother-in-law, Robert Hollinger; and special sister-in-law and childhood friend, Lela Hollinger, all of Akron, Ohio; niece, Aquila Hollinger of Akron, Ohio; nephews, David Hollinger of Akron, Ohio and Sean Hollinger of Pittsburgh, Pa.; great-nieces and nephews, Jaelen, Brandon, Hannah, Noah, and Sienna; special childhood friend, Glenda Rhoden of Akron, Ohio; Fred Middleton, Jr. (Jacki) of Shaker Heights, Ohio who was like the brother she never had, and other cousins, friends and loved ones. Services will be held Saturday, August 16, 2014 at St. John C.M.E church 1233 S. Hawkins Ave., Akron, OH 44320, Rev. Richard McDuffie, Eulogizing, Rev. Reynard Monmouth Officiating. Interment services at Mt. Peace cemetery. Friends and family may visit the church from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Procession will form and condolences may be sent to 1015 Pardee Ave. Akron, OH 44306.
Linda joined St. John CME Church as a child and continued her work there in various capacities. She enjoyed the work of the church, but more than that she loved the Lord. She answered the call that the Lord gave her by faithful service and a professed love for her savior Jesus Christ. Teaching Sunday school and her involvement in the social concerns ministry were just two of the ways she showed her love to people. Linda married Michael D. Hollinger and they had two daughters who both share in their mother''''''''s passion for education. They have excelled in life through the love, prayers, and sacrifice of Linda which allowed them to both to obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees. She was a devoted wife and continued to be Michael''''''''s friend even after they decided to end their marriage. She was a great friend to many and mentor to others. There is no measure to the impact that Linda''''''''s life had on those who met her and those that loved her. She was a strong woman who equipped her children with a sense of self and a drive to get things accomplished. She was compassionate and loving enough to be the safe soft place for her friends and those that needed her. She loved researching her family history and learning about her ancestry. She was an avid watcher of all NCIS, CSI, and Law & Order SVU episodes. Nothing could make her break away from General Hospital or her favorite basketball player Kevin Durant. She was a woman who had various interests and loved to learn. A daily crossword puzzle kept her mind sharp and her dictionary was in constant motion. The world is a better place because of her and we thank the Lord for his time in creating her. She was preceded in death by her father, William H. Johnson. Left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Melissa R. Hollinger of Akron, Ohio, and Brandie H. Peeples (John) of Arlington, Va.; her mother, Betty L. Johnson of Akron, Ohio; beloved granddaughter, London M. Hollinger of Akron, Ohio; and grandsons, Regis A. Peeples of Washington, D.C. and DeVaughn Reid of Akron, Ohio; mother-in-law, Lucille Hollinger; sister-in-law, Stephanie Hollinger; brother-in-law, Robert Hollinger; and special sister-in-law and childhood friend, Lela Hollinger, all of Akron, Ohio; niece, Aquila Hollinger of Akron, Ohio; nephews, David Hollinger of Akron, Ohio and Sean Hollinger of Pittsburgh, Pa.; great-nieces and nephews, Jaelen, Brandon, Hannah, Noah, and Sienna; special childhood friend, Glenda Rhoden of Akron, Ohio; Fred Middleton, Jr. (Jacki) of Shaker Heights, Ohio who was like the brother she never had, and other cousins, friends and loved ones. Services will be held Saturday, August 16, 2014 at St. John C.M.E church 1233 S. Hawkins Ave., Akron, OH 44320, Rev. Richard McDuffie, Eulogizing, Rev. Reynard Monmouth Officiating. Interment services at Mt. Peace cemetery. Friends and family may visit the church from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Procession will form and condolences may be sent to 1015 Pardee Ave. Akron, OH 44306.