Friends and family are invited to a visitation to remember and celebrate her life on Monday, April 12, 2021 between 10:00 a.m. and noon at Laurel Land Funeral home - 6300 South R. L. Thornton Freeway, Dallas, TX 75232.
Lynda was born to Jack and Joy Hurry in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England on October 24, 1952. On May 13th, 1956 her best friend and sister Diane entered her life and the two created an unbreakable bond. Richard, Lynda's adoring younger brother, became part of the family on July 11, 1964. Lynda’s role as the eldest child in her family would dramatically change three years later after the death of her father. Her doting love, protection, and loyalty towards her younger siblings has been a guiding light for the entirety of her life.
Lynda grew up in Pewsey–a village in Wiltshire near Stonehenge. Her own children would later hear tales of her and her friends playing hide-and-seek around those huge stones as if they were their personal playground. We have the fondest memories of running around the English countryside with our cousins Caroline and Matthew as kids when we traveled back home with mom. She adored all of her nieces and nephews so much and loved being an aunt.
Lynda was a long, lean bean-pole of a child, often reminding us that she was “once the tallest in her class.” While attending Pewsey Secondary School she broke the record for hurdles and her record stood for many years after she left. As a teen she achieved the Gold Duke of Edinburgh award and a Blue Peter Badge. Both were, and still are, high accolades for British children.
Lynda went on to attend Salisbury College and graduated from Oxford University’s John Radcliffe Hospital as a State Registered Nurse. While working at St. Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth she trained and qualified as a midwife. Her work and dedication to mothers and babies would set her future career as a Postpartum RN into motion. After working for Middlesex Hospital in London, Lynda was given the opportunity of a lifetime and set her sights on the United States. In the eyes of her twelve-year-old brother Richard, it was a devastating blow. He remembered, “It was December 6, 1976 when we took her to Heathrow for her flight to Dallas. She said it was just for one year but I knew then that she wouldn’t be back.” While leaving her mother and siblings was a painful decision, she knew she had to follow her instincts and take the leap. Lynda traveled to Texas with a close group of nursing friends on a work-study program through Presbyterian Hospital.
And so the story goes... While at a party with her friends, Lynda met our father, Bryant, who was dragged to the party by his buddies. After a night of laughing, talking, and escaping their respective blind dates, Lynda realized she would not be going home to England.
Quinton Bryant Hammontree and Lynda Joyce Hurry married on March 3, 1978 at the county courthouse in Fort Worth, TX. They honeymooned in Las Vegas and then traveled to England to officially celebrate with her family and friends. Three impossibly perfect children soon followed: Michelle (1979), Nicole (1980), and Michael (1983).
Lynda adored our father’s family as they welcomed her as their own. She spent many devoted years caring for our grandparents, Quinton Bryant Sr. and Ella Ray, especially in the years after Bryant’s death.
Lynda was a devoted nurse across Methodist Charlton and Methodist Central Hospitals in Dallas for over 30 years. While there she made meaningful, lifelong friendships with her fellow nurses and patients. She made quite a name for herself on 11 Bed Tower—the floor dedicated to moms and new babies. A natural leader and mentor, she guided and trained new nurses and was considered by her colleagues and patients to be one of the best. She would often receive notes from the new mothers and families she cared for, praising her compassionate and attentive bedside manner.
On July 18, 1999 Lynda lost the love of her life to pancreatic cancer. With two teenagers at home and one away at college she was once again thrust into an unexpected role– widowed mother. Though her hardships and heartache were tremendous, she was admired by many for her strength and dedication to her family and her work during this time.
To know Lynda is to know her love for music–especially The Beatles. As kids bouncing around in the car with mom you would often hear her proclaim “60’s Quiz!” To which every child in the back would shout, “The Beatles!”–the only acceptable answer there ever was. It made her so happy and proud to share her love for John, Paul, George, and yes, even Ringo. Her sister Diane has never lived down the day that she accidentally sat on Lynda’s Rubber Soul album and snapped the record in half. Anytime a song off that album was heard, Mom would be reminded and have to tell the story again. Lynda was able to see The Beatles in a small venue in England to her mother’s dismay. Her story of sneaking out of her mum’s house to travel by bus and boat to see Jimi Hendrix live at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 made her legendary in her sibling’s eyes. She took Diane to see Elton John in Oxford in 1972, her sister’s first memorable concert experience. As a true testament to his love for our mother, our father agreed to accompany her to a Rolling Stones concert after multiple hints were dropped. He attempted to make an elaborate gift guessing game that ultimately lead to the tickets but it was a total and hilarious flop–it was their Voodoo Lounge Tour in 1995. A lifetime wish of seeing her dream-man Paul McCartney once again was fulfilled by her children in 2003 for his Driving World Tour and remains a heartfelt memory to us all. Many special evenings were spent in theaters, venues, and playhouses all around the world. Lynda’s love for the arts manifested as pure joy–a joy she needed to share with others.
Lynda was a world traveler, an avid reader, a master gardener, a volunteer, and a loving friend to so many. In the last decade she even became a champion pickleball player, known to run circles around her son and sons-in-law on the court.
More than anything else, Lynda loved being a mom and grandmother to her six grandchildren. It is impossible to put into words how well she loved us and how much she will be missed. She was a pillar of strength–endlessly loving and generous, boundlessly proud of her family, especially her beautiful grandchildren; Colette, Cason, Ethan, Quinton, Florence, and Landon. Her memory will live on through them.
Throughout our lives we watched our mom transform ordinary suburban lawns into magical gardens. Ugly dirt patches became blooming flower beds, complete with butterflies and fairy houses. Sometimes during the winter we would wonder how she was going to revive what was lost. But with every spring came her nurturing, and the flowers and birds would return more beautifully than ever. We didn’t realize at the time, but we now know we were being taught a beautiful lesson - there can be life after loss.
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