Linda Brady

A business trip for my part-time job offered an opportunity to travel to the Eastern Panhandle of WV near Martinsburg. Linda and her husband, Bob, live near there. So I emailed Linda and asked if I could come visit them while I was in the neighborhood.  Linda graciously invited me to come to their home for a visit before we would go out to eat. I accepted the invitations so now everything was set to gather data for another alumni interview to be entered on to our web site. A phone call at the designated time after I got over there sealed the arrangements and I was on my way.

Linda’s directions lead me to her doorway where she was waiting to greet me upon arrival. She had me stop to be introduced to her mother that lives in an apartment in the lower floor of their house. We had a visit with her mother but since I was not one of the kids from the old Moundsville neighborhood, she would not have any reason to remember me as part of their lives when they lived here. Anyway, it was pleasant to share moments of reflection with her.   Going upstairs, I was introduced to Bob. The final introduction was to their new dog Katie, a beautiful Heinz variety Collie mix that was a pound rescue. Dogs know who likes them so we hit it off perfectly.

I was interested in seeing the remodeling that Linda had emailed me about so I asked to see what they had done. They had remodeled their Den. What I saw was the finished product which was a very cozy, warm place to relax. They had also laid some new wood flooring that looked great. Later I saw their enclosed deck that was a very inviting place to relax outside as it looked onto their garden area. 
Linda said that working in this garden area is one of their hobbies.   We sat in the living room for a long visit as we shared stories of our lives since high school. Linda said that life in Moundsville seems so long ago. As she put it after completing Beauty School in Martinsburg, she got her first job as a Hairdresser in Arlington, VA where she met and married the father of her son. She also met and married the father of her daughter while in Virginia.  Both of those husbands are now deceased. After moving back to WV, she met and married Bob who is from Virginia. She and Bob realized how parallel their lives had run and finally intersected to bring about her present marriage and phase of her life. So through all those phases she manages careers of 15 years in hairdressing and 19 years in the employment of the Federal Government at the Veteran’s Hospital as a Health Benefits Advisor.

Seeing Linda and Bob together, one can see that they know the significance of moments shared together. They cherish every day of life together. Bob is a three year survivor of Lung Cancer and doing well. They also share the enjoyment of bus tours and liner cruises as valuable escapes from the routine. Living closer to the coast and flow of life up and down the eastern seaboard, they can catch these excursions very easily from their home.   Linda and I agreed that during the 6 years that we went to school together at Moundsville High School, we didn’t say more than five words to each other. So we didn’t have a lot in common to remember. But she asked about other alumni that she sees in the articles and I told her what I knew. I realize that she would have more to share with the girls from our class than she would with me. This led me to emphasize to her to come to the Labor Day meeting or to catch one of our monthly meetings. I could not pass up a chance to invite her to participate. They took me to dinner which was great. We continued to enjoy conversation there. The evening ended with a hand shake with Bob and hug with Linda. We parted filled with pleasant thoughts of our reflections and conversations.

Linda A. Brady Kerns, 69, of Inwood, WV, passed away on Thursday, June 12, 2014 at her residence.
Born July 1, 1944 in Martinsburg, she was the daughter of the late Sanford D. Brady and Rosa Lee Clark Brady.
She was a member of New Life Community Church.
She is survived by her loving husband, Bobbie Kerns of Inwood; a son, Robert Lee Scofield and wife, Kelly; a daughter, Jodi Scofield and partner, Tino Jimenez;
and three grandchildren, Nathaniel, Halie, and DaSoda; three great-grandchildren, Abigail, Madison, and Anna. She is also survived by two brothers, James Brady and wife, Pam, and Roger Brady and wife Sherry.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Patricia Spiker.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice.