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Obituary : Linda Stoner Winslett |
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WINSLETT, Linda Stoner, of Georgetown, South Carolina and Richmond, Virginia,
died on, September 3, 2008, in Richmond after a gallant two-year battle with
ovarian cancer. Born September 23, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the only child
of Paul Dudley Stoner and Alice White Stoner, she grew up on the east coast of
Florida, where her father was a real estate developer. She graduated from Fort
Lauderdale High School in 1952, having been voted 'Most Likely to Succeed' in
her class. She then undertook a lifetime of education, beginning with a
bachelor's degree in education from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, where --
no surprise to anyone who ever met her -- she was chosen "Miss Charming" by her
graduating class. Later, she received her master's degree from Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond. Linda was a teacher and counselor all her
life. She taught at the elementary level in the public schools of Jacksonville
and Atlanta and at St. Michael's School in Richmond. After receiving her
master's degree in counseling and education, she worked as a marriage and family
counselor at the Pastoral Counseling and Referral Service in Columbia, S.C. She
also taught Sunday School in every church she was ever affiliated with and in
retirement, she still remained active in after-school children's programs and
other activities at Georgetown Presbyterian Church. While in college, she met
her husband, Usher T. Winslett Jr., a recently graduated engineering student at
Georgia Tech. They were married in 1957 and their children, Linda Stoner
Winslett and Usher T. Winslett III, were born in 1958 and 1959. Linda and Usher
were inseparable for more than 50 years as they followed his business career
from Atlanta, Jacksonville, Richmond and Columbia, South Carolina; then to
Buenos Aires, Argentina and finally to Greenwich, Connecticut; and after their
retirement to the beach at Debordieu near Georgetown, South Carolina. She
remained at Debordieu, except for family visits to Richmond and New York, after
Usher's death in September 2007. She was an inveterate and highly accomplished
volunteer. Her charm, grace, and generosity made her a natural leader and she
was tapped to serve as president of almost every organization she was ever
affiliated with, including the Women of the Church at Reveille Methodist Church
in Richmond, the Women of the Church at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in
Columbia, the Board of the Columbia Music Festival Association, the Debordieu
Gardeners and many others. She was an equally enthusiastic but less decorated
golfer, though her friends struck a plaque in her honor the day she (finally)
broke 100 and thanks to a very strong effort by her partner, Joe Padgett, and
the magic of handicapping, she capped her golf career by winning the Debordieu
Golf Association Mixed Couples trophy. Linda is survived by her daughter, Stoner
Winslett, the Artistic Director of the Richmond Ballet; and by her son, Usher
Winslett III, a lawyer in New York City; by their spouses, Donald Irwin and
Shari Kushner; and by six grandchildren, Louise Irwin Welch, Elizabeth Sinclair
Irwin, Alexander Winslett Irwin, Casey Kushner Winslett, Jamie Kushner Winslett
and Caroline Winslett Irwin. A memorial service will be held for Linda at 11:30
a.m. on Saturday, September 13, at Georgetown Presbyterian Church, 558 Black
River Rd., Georgetown, S.C. 29440. The family has asked that any donations be
made to VCU Massey Cancer Center, P.O. Box 980214, Richmond, Va. 23298-0214.
Arrangements by Nelsen Funeral Home, Laburnum Chapel.
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