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Our beautiful, blonde, green-eyed, Alabama sweetheart, Linda Stewart, walked into her Lord’s arms on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, at 8 p.m. She was surrounded by her family, who had been with her all day. Greeting her in heaven were her Mother and Father, Edna and Aubrey Miller of Greenville, Ala.; her beloved son, Richard, who passed eight years ago on this same day and time; her great-granddaughter, Sadie Harris; and her niece, Amy Turner.

The Stewart family fell in love with Linda more than 27 years ago. Charlie’s daughter, Laura, met Linda’s daughter, Jana, in 1990 and hatched a plan for their two parents to meet. Photos were secretly faxed without Charlie or Linda knowing about the plan. It was a magical love and engagement that followed with a wedding ceremony in Gatlinburg, Tenn., in April 1993.

One night her father-in-law, Arnold Stewart, was trying to say … Charlie and his spouse, but instead said, “his Sprucie.” So, she was our dear, sweet Sprucie to all of us, now and forevermore.

Linda is survived by her husband of almost 27 years, Charlie Stewart; her children, Jason (Sierra Anna) Jones of Okinawa, Jennifer (Junior) Reeves of Luverne, Ala., Jana (Joe) McGinty of Prattville, Ala., and her daughter-in-law, Brenna Ash Miller of Improve, Miss.; Charlie’s daughters, Laura Stewart (Drue McMillan), Candy (Troy) Crain, all of Bogalusa, and Amanda (Patrick) Dillard of Springfield. She left 18 grandchildren to cherish her memory: Reimi and Sarah Jones; Sydni Harris; Alex, Brianna and Caitlyn Bowen; Blake, Cody, Wheeler (Nikki)and Justin (Tiffany) McGinty; Skyler Miller; Sara (Adam) Wright; Presley Crain; Adynn, Finley and Liam Dillard; Braelynn and Tatum Penton, and several great-grandchildren. Linda is also survived by her siblings Shirley (Lon) Porter of Bogalusa, and Gaynell Kelly of Huntsville, Ala.; her sisters-in­ law Mary (John) Boulware and Florence (Vic) Boyles; and her brother-in- law Pete (Pat) Stewart, all of Bogalusa. She also leaves numerous nieces and nephews.

The service will be held Wednesday, Jan. 1, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Poole-Ritchie Funeral Home, with burial following at the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery. Pallbearers for Linda’s service will be Drue McMillan, Troy Crain, Patrick Dillard, Junior Reeves, Joe McGinty and Blake McGinty.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Linda’s memory for research at the National Scleroderma Foundation, 300 Rosewood Drive, Ste. 105, Danvers, MA 01923.