Tributes

Linda Joyce Saxon Hutchens passed away peacefully at her home in La Vernia, Texas on October 22, 2023, just a few days shy of her 80th birthday. Linda was born on November 9th, 1943, to parents Col. Clifford Tyra Saxon and Ethlyn Lawrence Saxon while her family was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, as her father was preparing for deployment. Being the daughter of an Amy officer, Linda and her older brother Cliff grew up a bit like nomads, adapting to Army life and living in numerous places around the world, including Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Corozal Panama. The family's final move in 1958 returned them to Fort Sam Houston and the San Antonio area. Linda attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where she was very active in choir and student government. She was a member of the mixed chorus, A Capella and the Jaspers. She was also involved in the Future Nurses Club and served as the Senior Class representative for the Class of 1961. Upon her graduation from Jefferson, Linda enrolled in San Antonio College, to begin studies in nursing. By 1965 Linda was once again on the move, this time living in Bryan, El Paso, Colorado Springs, and Shreveport. By the mid-1970s, Linda called Dallas, Texas her home and began a career in retail optometry that would span the years up until her retirement. She moved back home to San Antonio in the early 1980s to be closer to her mother and stepfather and to continue her career as an optical manager. Her genuine interest in helping people aided her in building lasting relationships and made her a superstar to all who came to know her. Over the years she would tell stories of some of the celebrities and athletes she had the opportunity to serve in her optical shop, oftentimes getting a picture or autograph of a popular Dallas Cowboy football player or San Antonio Spur who would visit the store. Linda was a passionate sports fan and emphatically rooted for her beloved Dallas Cowboys, the hometown San Antonio Spurs, and the family's favorite Fighting Texas Aggies. She enjoyed going to the movies and loved all things Whinny the Pooh or Pooh Bear. She loved nature and always had a house pet or two to care for. She was known for a quick wit and dry sense of humor that wasn't always well received by her mother. Linda possessed a warm smile or sarcastic smirk, depending on the situation, and had an infectious laugh that at times would do its best to mask some difficult times. Like most of us, her life was not without occasional ups and downs, but during those times she found comfort and solace in loving and caring for the many “fur babies” she had adopted throughout the years and leaned on a tight network of friends. In June of 1998, she met the love of her life, William C. "Hutch" Hutchens, and they were married the following November of 1999. In a most “San Antonian” of things, their first date was at a local Jim’s restaurant, and shortly thereafter, they were inseparable. For the next 25 years, they would enjoy weekly dates to the movie theater, travel, and make the occasional trip to Louisiana to enjoy the “complementary buffets” offered by the local casinos. It’s quite possible there may have been a time or two when a few of the games found within those vacation spots were also enjoyed. The last couple of years of her life were spent serving in both the role of caregiver and that of the cared for, as Linda and Hutch each experienced their own health challenges, each nursing one another back to health, the best they could. Linda was preceded in death by her father, Col. Clifford T. Saxon, her mother, Ethelyn L. Waugh, her stepfather, Roland G. Waugh, and her brother Clifford A. Saxon. She is survived by her husband Hutch Hutchens and his children, Lesa Kosteck, Tabatha Nolen, and Denver Hutchens. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, LaNan Saxon, nephew Brent A. Saxon and his wife Lucinda Dean Saxon, her niece Monica Saxon Boram and her husband Doug Boram, and her grandnephews, Parker Saxon, Bryce Boram and Blake Boram. A celebration of Linda's life and legacy will take place on Sunday, November 19th at Mission Park Funeral Chapels South at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Linda's honor.

Tributes

Linda Joyce Hutchens

November 9, 1943 - October 22, 2023