Linda Lee Nixon

Linda L. Nixon, 72, of Kansas City, Mo., passed away on September 18, 2020, at Saint Luke’s Hospice House. She spent her youth in Columbia, Mo., graduating from Columbia Hickman High School and Stephens College. She and Richard Nixon were married in June, 1970, commencing a fifty year life together. Linda received her J.D. degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 1975; one of only four women students in the law school.

After passing the Missouri Bar exam, Linda joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City legal staff, examining bank trust departments and handling legal issues for the Fed. While there she became an expert on consumer lending regulations and spoke on the subject at banking conferences around the country. The birth of her third child, Jon (who is sometimes referred to as the “Last Straw”), led to the decision to leave the Fed and reduce the time spent on her legal career, although she did consult with Kansas City area banks for several more years.

While she applied great energy to her career, her passion is best described as “doing things for others”. She worked tirelessly making a wonderful home for Dick and their three children: Stephen, Katie and Jonathan. She was a mother first and foremost. She loved cooking and was a great natural cook. Their home was always filled on Christmas Eve with family and friends enjoying the standard fare of chili and oyster stew.

One of her specialties was cannelloni, which she could make in large quantities for family get togethers, friends, and the many dinner events she hosted supporting Dick’s law career. On one occasion, a large outdoor gathering ended up inside after a torrential downpour. Thanks to Linda’s versatility it was still a big success, albeit a bit cozy!

Her organizational skills were well up to the challenges of running a very active household for her own family as well as frequent additions. Linda could relate to people irrespective of their background, making them feel welcome, comfortable and important. She didn’t hesitate to welcome in extended family members and others who might need a temporary place to stay. A notable addition was Tommy Xu who came to the United States from China for his senior year in high school. Tommy soon became a member of the family, and with no reservations adopted Linda as his American mother.

Linda had a list of her own Life Lessons. At the top was — “Give yourself to a cause because it is important to you”. And give she did. She personally helped many friends with hospital visits, home-cooked meals and other support when they needed it most. She helped her community more broadly by serving on various governing boards, often as Chair, for Country Club Christian Church, The Family Conservancy, Bishop Miege High School Foundation, St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School, and Stephens College. She loved being a part of each of these boards and the many friends she made. She might object to listing these board positions, since another of her life’s lessons was —"Never do anything for personal recognition”.

Linda wasn’t all work and no play, in her younger days she enjoyed a good tennis match, and she was an accomplished seamstress. For her wedding she made her own wedding dress and the bridesmaid’s dresses. She loved annual family vacations to Colorado and California. In recent years, Dick and Linda traveled extensively. For several winters they spent a month in Coronado, California where Dick’s brother and wife reside. Along the way they spent time with friends in Phoenix and Palm Desert. They traveled abroad a number of times, spending a memorable month in Tuscany and a 42-day trip around the world in 2008 attending Olympic events in Beijing, including Usain Bolt’s world record 400 meter performance.

Linda is survived by her husband, Dick, her three children, Stephen (Shannon), Katie (Ken Barber), and Jon (Haley), her six grandchildren, who she referred to as “pure joy”, Savannah, Jackson, Sinclair, Alexander, Caroline and Benjamin), her Chinese “son”, Tommy Xu (Marie Hill) and their two children, Harper and Hudson and her sister, Donna Buck (Craig). She was preceded in death by her mother, Viola K. Fries, and her father, Wilbert C. Fries.

Her passing has left a great hole in our hearts and in our lives. And we’ll remember that even during her illness, she always met visitors with her beautiful smile.

The family is most grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff at The University of Kansas Hospital for their many years of professional help and support, to the aides from CareStaf and in particular, Tanesha Roath-Monroe, Keyona Sanders and Cynthia Phillips; to Kim Sanders, who kept Linda exercising, and to the staff at Saint Luke’s Hospice House.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 29th in the sanctuary of Country Club Christian Church. In-person attendance will be limited to 100 people so that social distancing can be achieved. Wearing a mask and registration for the in-person service is required. Seats can be reserved here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/linda-nixon-memorial-service-in-person-registration-tickets-122098480843.

For those who do not attend in-person, the service will be streamed live via the following link (registration is not required): https://youtu.be/YyPwgk7HM0Q.

The service will be recorded and can be viewed online after the live service has concluded using the same link as the live services: https://youtu.be/YyPwgk7HM0Q.

In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to The Family Conservancy (444 Minnesota Ave., Suite 200, Kansas City, Kansas 66101; https://www.thefamilyconservancy.org/donate/), Country Club Christian Church (6101 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Mo. 64113; https://www.cccckc.org/church-life/give/) and The University of Kansas Hospital, 400 Cambridge St., Kansas City, Kansas 66160; https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/giving/).

Memories of Linda and condolences may be shared at www.mcgilleymidtownchapel.com.