Linda Sue Earley Mecham

Linda Sue Earley was born on April 16, 1961, in Norfolk, Virginia to Bill and Barbara Earley. Her father being in the service caused them to travel while Linda was young. They settled in Independence, Missouri, later moving to Sibley, Missouri, where she had fond memories of growing up. She was involved in 4-H, beauty pageants and her church youth group. She was the oldest of 5.

She met Joe Mecham while attending Southwest Baptist College and they married in 1981. Linda and Joe have 2 wonderful children, Rachel (Oregon) and Michael (Florida). Linda spent most of her adult life as a pastor’s wife living in Northern Missouri, Kansas, North Dakota, and Colorado. Once her homeschooled children were grown, she taught in the public and private school systems.

Linda and Joe moved back to Kansas City in 2023, and she was able to spend the last year with her siblings and their families. This is not the story she would have written but the one she was given.

She prayed for a long time for a grandchild and had the joy of meeting her only granddaughter, Heidi, earlier this year. Even to the end, Linda’s eyes would light up when she was able to video chat with Heidi.

Linda claimed God’s goodness to the very end. “In my Father’s house are many mansions,” a song she sang as a youth, but now she is enjoying a mansion with our Heavenly Father. (You can join us too.)

She will be missed by her husband Joe, daughter Rachel (Kurt), son Michael (Aly), granddaughter Heidi, her siblings Mike, Jill, Laura (Jerry), Chris (Sarah), brothers-in law Travis (Vera) and Aaron, sisters-in-law Melinda (Kory) and Amy (Matthew), as well as aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, great-niece and great-nephews and friends.

Her parents have gone before her, as well as her fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law, Clint and Judy and Dick and Bonnie, and sister-in-law, Debbie.

Her life’s mission was sharing the goodness of God with everyone she met by word and deed. She was indeed a “party in a box.”