FORMERLY OF COLUMBUS
Linda Suzanne (Smith) Lehner (77) of Dallas, TX passed away peacefully on Aug. 27, 2020 at her vacation home in Bajamar, Mexico after more than a decade long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Linda was born on Oct. 6, 1942 in Wilmington, NC to Mary and Lt. Col. Calvin Oliver Smith.
Linda grew up in McRae, GA with her mother and two sisters following her father’s death in the Korean War. From a young age, Linda always had a flair for the dramatic participating in theater, debate and declamation. She studied at the University of Georgia (BS, 1964) in Athens, GA where she met her husband of 53 years and biggest champion Lt. Paul Lehner on a blind date at the Officers’ Club. While Paul was abroad serving his country, she continued her education at Northwestern University (MA, 1966) and later at Indiana University (PhD in Psycholinguistics, 1976).
Linda had a remarkable 25-year career in municipal government, higher education and non-profit management. She began her career in speech pathology at the Medical College of South Carolina where she and Paul reconnected after his service in the Navy. They married in Dublin, GA on Aug. 5, 1967 and headed to Boston, MA where Paul studied at Harvard.
She continued her speech pathology work at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, MA and at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN where she taught while pursuing a PhD. Her career then turned to leadership and development work in Columbus, IN where she served as deputy mayor and director of community development from 1984-86.
Linda rejoined higher education and non-profit management when the family relocated to Dallas, TX. She served as Development Director and Vice President of University Relations for nine years at the University of Dallas (UD). After leaving UD, Linda served in development and fundraising roles at various organizations including Thanks-Giving Foundation, the Dallas Zoological Society, Catholic Charities of Dallas and the Salvation Army’s DFW Metroplex Command.
Throughout her life, Linda sought adventure including European travels with her grandmother as a girl, a scholarship to study in Oslo, Norway during college, a visiting professorship in Adelaide, South Australia as a graduate student, and coordinating UD’s Rome, Italy Campus Dedication. She and Paul traveled to the USSR, Europe, Australia and Asia in the 70s, Mexico and Europe in the 80s, sailed in the Caribbean and Tahiti in the 90s, and visited Africa and India in the 00s. And they spent their retirement living and exploring Baja California, Mexico.
Linda would do anything for a good story and loved to tell them. She livened up every party, throwing her share along the way including Gourmet Club dinners in Brown County, IN and an unforgettable New Year’s Eve at Bajamar where the crowd welcomed 2000 with poetry at sunrise.
She is missed dearly by her two daughters and their families: Suzanne and Andy Rubin and their daughter Sydney of Southlake, TX and Paulyn “Lynn” and Aaron Sloan and their daughters Olivia and Morgen of Austin, TX; and her sister Janet (Smith) Fields of Dublin, GA, her brother-in-law Frank Fields and many nieces, nephews and other relatives. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister Nancy (Smith) Livingston of McRae, GA.
Memorial details will follow. Paul and Linda will rest eternally at Our Lady of Sorrows mausoleum complex at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Notre Dame, IN. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation in honor of Linda’s long battle. Condolences may be shared with the family online at Legacy.com.
