Linda Winslow Perry, of Ashland, Virginia, died at her home on Saturday, December 25, 2021, after a brief illness.

Linda was born in Arlington, Virginia, on July 29, 1946. From an early age, Linda had the entrepreneurial spirit. She hosted View Master “movies,” cleaned the stainless-steel surfaces at the Fairfax County Courthouse cafeteria (with her sister Pat), created and ran a kindergarten for the neighborhood families, and drove a school bus. All of these culminated with the founding of Linda W. Perry Taxes at her Spotsylvania County home, eventually growing into needing commercial office space in Ladysmith, then finally moving to its current location in Ashland.  

Linda’s love of the outdoors took many forms. She played softball at Lee High School and continued to play and coach for several years. When there was a need for Cub Scout Den Leaders, Linda volunteered and served in that role for several years. She did not mind getting dirty: when the Cub Scouts went fishing, Linda taught them how to hook the worms and clean that day’s catch too.  

Linda loved her United Methodist Church family. She served many roles at the church and district levels. In the (former) Ashland District, Linda served as the treasurer for many, many years.  She was also a member of the Board of Missions.  Linda was a Certified Lay Speaker with the Virginia Conference and spoke to many congregations across the region.  Frequently she preached about generosity with her famous “10 coins” sermon.

Most recently, Linda was a founding member of New Song United Methodist Church in Mechanicsville.  She served in many leadership roles: Executive Leadership Team, Staff-Parish Relations (Personnel) Team, Finance Team, and Celebrate Recovery. She also led multiple stewardship campaigns and fundraising efforts, including a personal favorite, the BBQ & Bluegrass Festival.  Linda taught “Living for Giving” and was part of many Bible studies and small groups over the years.

Linda was a friend to many and beloved by all. She never met a stranger and was often listed as the first person people met at New Song.

She is survived and loved by her sons, Kevin Perry (Susanne Nobles) and Mark Perry; her sisters, Patricia (Pete) Rice, Janet (Greg) Pierson, and Kathy (David) Benckert; her wonderful grandchildren, Sabina and Caleb Perry; and many nieces and nephews. Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Amos and Doris Winslow, and her brother, Robert Winslow.

A Celebration of Life is to be held on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021 at 10:00 AM at New Song United Methodist Church, 7450 Colts Neck Road, ​Mechanicsville, VA 23111.  Masks are required and social distancing is encouraged. You are also encouraged to wear something blue, Linda’s favorite color. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to support some of Linda’s passions: Society of St. Andrew www.endhunger.org; New Song UMC Forward Building Campaign, www.newsongumc.org/forward; Compassion in Jesus’ name www.compassion.com