Graveside services for Linda Lou (Huddleston) Lent, 81, West Plains, Missouri, will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 30, 2024, at Elk Creek Cemetery, under the direction of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.
Linda passed away at 4:20 a.m., Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at West Vue Nursing Center. She was a loving mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and aunt. West Plains was her home for 49 years.
She was born August 13, 1942, at Akron, Ohio, to Jesse Lynn (Buster) Huddleston and Eunice Leota Harris Huddleston, formerly of Thomasville and Rover, respectively. Her father had come to Akron for work in the late 1920s, eventually spending more than 30 years with the B.F. Goodrich tire company. He also ran a small farm in nearby Manchester, where Linda and her brother grew up. Parents and children were active members of the Brown Street Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Linda graduated in 1960 from Manchester High School, where she played trumpet and was head majorette, and the next year from secretarial school. She then served as secretary to the director of the Akron YMCA. Her 13-year marriage ended in divorce. In 1975 Linda and her two children moved to West Plains, where her parents had retired two years before. She held several jobs, notably at the housing authority, West Vue, and West Plains Savings and Loan. In later years, she cared for the elderly in their homes. She loved her cats (and grandcats), crafts and yard sales.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents.
She is survived by son Tom Lent (Martha) of Hudson, Ohio, and formerly Washington, D.C.; daughter Tami Lent of St. Louis; grandson Henry Lent of Columbus, Ohio; brother Jim Huddleston (Nancy) of Kerrville, Texas; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Visitation services will be held from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m., Friday, at Robertson-Drago Funeral Home. Linda will be buried near her parents and grandparents. Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society and may be left at or mailed to Robertson-Drago Funeral Home, 211 West Main, West Plains, MO 65775.
