Linda Eggleston Tyree

Linda Eggleston Tyree, born December 6, 1940, to Claude B. Eggleston and Mary P. Hoadley, dreamed of missionary work when she was just 14. Though born and raised within an evangelical Baptist community in Binghamton, New York, she ultimately served the Episcopal Church in Kenya, East Africa, and later Navajoland in Bluff, Utah. 

The desire to do Christian ministry grew out of her family’s strong connection to Calvary Baptist Church, where she was influenced by powerful female guest speakers doing mission work abroad -- at a time when there were few leadership roles for women within the church.

After graduating from Chenango Valley High School in 1958, she was college-bound, the first in her family, starting at King's College, in upstate New York. 

In 1960, Linda married John Tinklepaugh, a member of her home church and an aspiring priest. Leadership within their circles tied evangelism to social action -- they were to help those without a voice, power or privilege within the dominant culture -- a belief that influenced her lifelong.

Marriage prompted her to relocate and finish her undergraduate degree at the University of Denver. From Denver, she transitioned, with John, to First Baptist in Morris, New York, a town with one stop-light and the state's last telephone operator. They had a daughter and then a son. Four years later, in a leap of faith, they moved to Ridgeland Baptist Church in the suburbs of Rochester, which was, literally, only a basement. Their charisma attracted committed parishioners and soon the church walls were completed. This is when they adopted their youngest son. 

Another leap occurred in the midst of their campus ministry within Rochester, when they unexpectedly fell in love with St. Paul's Episcopal Church -- its music, rituals, and inclusiveness. 

In the 1970s, when women were just beginning to be ordained as priests, she pursued a degree at Colgate Rochester's Divinity School, later completed at Virginia Episcopal Seminary. 

There was always a big lunch after church for a handful of guests, with games, often guitar music, and a puzzle on the side. In the summer, there was a month of cross-country camping, with books read aloud while on the road between tourist sights. 

In 1980, Linda married The Rev. Richard D. Tyree and with her children moved to Roanoke, Virginia. Three years later, together, they began teaching at St John's School of Mission, on Lake Victoria, in Kenya. She taught what she loved most, preaching and pastoral care, and was charmed by their life there -- including hippos heard from their porch and numerous safaris. As a revered teacher, many babies within the community were named after her. 

In the early 1990s, they moved to Navajoland in Utah, where she worked for three years on the reservation. Most churches were without a priest, and led by lay women. Her role, she felt, was to listen to what they wanted in terms of training and programs and help with implementation. She said learning about the Navajo and their ways was "pure joy"! 

When Lyme disease ended her career, she and Dick resettled in Holyoke, Massachusetts, with a handful of dogs. She immersed herself in reading and intricate quilting, genuinely content. In 2004 they moved to Westminster Canterbury, a retirement community in Lynchburg, Virginia, where they thrived. In 2015, Dick was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, and died on June 29, 2016, with Linda by his side. 

Following her loss, Linda developed new and closer friendships, continued with offering her pastoral care, engaged in activities, and devoured books, as always. When diagnosed with cervical and breast cancer, she took it in stride, grateful for such a wonderful life. Surrounded by family for weeks prior, Linda died on October 30, 2024, at 83 years of age. Consistently, a broad swath of people would comment on her being a favorite of theirs and loving her. 

Her colorful storytelling, humor, and joy will be remembered. 

Linda is survived by her three children, their partners, and five grandchildren: Naomi M. Tinklepaugh (David Fernandez), and their children Leah, Benjamin, Ilana and Jacob; Luke J. Tinklepaugh (Carol Barnum) and their son, Michael Barnum; and Abraham J. Tinklepaugh (Carrie Tinklepaugh); and by her sister, Sue White and husband Terry. 

A memorial service to celebrate Linda's life will be at 11am, Wednesday, November 6, in the chapel at Westminster Canterbury, 501 VES Road, Lynchburg, Virginia 24503. Her ashes will be buried in a family cemetery at Oakgrove, in Lynch Station, Virginia. 

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.