Linda Faye Kemp Dillon

Linda Dillon of Homer, LA, passed away in peace Wednesday night due to unexpected complications after a routine heart procedure. Her family is comforted knowing that she is with her husband of 59 years, Gladney Dillon, who died in 2021, and that after a lifetime of illness, she is in no pain and is at eternal rest with her Heavenly Father.

Linda is survived by her older son Scott of Bossier City and his wife Angel, her younger son John of Athens, her two granddaughters Allie and Taylor of Bossier City, and her five month old great granddaughter Gabby. She is also survived by her younger sister, Louise White, of Dallas, Texas, and her sister-in-law, Linda Kemp, of Minden, LA.

Linda was born in Minden to John Thomas Kemp and Mabel Miller, and was the fourth of five children. She earned the family nickname “Roughhouse” and was continually called this, or simply “Rough” by her brother Tommy Kemp who passed away in 2024. Her oldest brother, Bob and her older sister, Betty Jean, were both 13 years older. Tommy was one year older, and he and Linda were inseparable as children, with Tommy either protecting her from other boys or shooting her with a bb gun, depending on the day. As Linda aged, she practiced her beautician skills on her younger sister, Louise, doing her hair for pageants, dances, proms, and parades in Minden and Dixie Inn, where they later lived. Linda’s father, known to all as JT, worked road construction and was killed in an accident at work when Linda was 13.

Linda’s first date with Gladney was delayed by her mother until she was deemed old enough to date at 16. At Neta’s BBQ of Minden, then known as “The Root Beer Stand,” they bought five hamburgers for a dollar in 1960 and went back nearly every anniversary. Linda finished cosmetology school while still at Minden High School and eloped with Gladney her senior year in 1962 to get married by the Justice of the Peace in the basement of the courthouse in Marshall, Texas. Linda would later say, “It was the only time in my life I ever skipped school, and I got a life sentence” They moved to Homer, and she eventually opened Linda’s Beauty Salon and operated it for about 45 years and still did her own hair the rest of her life.

Linda and Gladney had Scott in 1964 and John in 1975. They taught their boys directly about faith in God, money, manners, and hard work. They taught them indirectly about love, patience, and the unique bonds of family. Scott and John acknowledge Linda and Gladney in all their success and happiness, and it gives the boys great comfort knowing their two souls have found each other again and now forever.

Linda gained a daughter in 1994 when Scott married Angel Brown of Bienville Parish. Linda had been surrounded by men until Angel, with whom she cultivated a special relationship and helped her to be the best wife and mother she could be. But her granddaughters were the light of her life, and they were much more inclined to play dress-up than Scott and John ever were. Linda gave them all the love she had to give. She never thought she would live long enough to see a great grandchild, but she was happily proven wrong in January when Allie and her husband, Chase, had little Gabby, who is always happy and very wiggly. The day before she passed, she enjoyed time with Gabby and got a goodbye kiss that made them both smile.

Services were Saturday, June 27, at First Baptist Church in Homer. Visitation was 9-10; funeral at 10:00, followed by a brief graveside service at Arlington Cemetery in Homer. The family would like to thank church members who are helping with a family lunch. We also extend special thanks to Pastor Bryan Thurman and pallbearers Jacob Adams, Michael Allen, Dr. Mark Haynes, and Chase Rivers. We also would like to thank Mrs. Lorraine Sellers at Rose Neath of Homer for her dedication and professionalism.

Rose-Neath Funeral Home

Homer Chapel (318) 927-6110