THE funeral of Linda Mears was held in Stanhope Methodist chapel on Thursday January 22nd and led by Rev Heather Ross.
The cortege entered to the tune of ‘Jealous of the Angels’ by Donna Taggart before Rev Heather made the welcome and led the opening prayers. She gave thanks to the Methodists for allowing the service to be held there due to St Thomas church being closed. She gave thanks for the life of Linda and to the large congregation for attending.
The first hymn, ‘Morning Has Broken’ was sung before Rev Heather gave the eulogy taken from the family’s own words;
‘Today we come together with heavy hearts, but also with so much love, to say goodbye to our mam, Linda — a much-loved mam, granny, and great granny, and the centre of our family.
Mam was kind, caring, and endlessly giving. But more than anything, she loved her family — that was what truly mattered to her. Everything she did was for us. She loved being with us, sharing birthdays and special moments.
She was stubborn too — and we say that with a smile and a bit of laughter because it was part of her. She hated asking for help. You would find her up ladders or on settee arms doing things herself, caught once sat on the allotment ground on her bum after slipping on wet mud, brushing herself off and carrying on like nothing had happened. That determination, that strength, was mam all over.
So green-fingered she could grow absolutely anything. Her allotment was her pride and joy, her calm space to be, never fussed about the garden at the front of her home, she just loved getting stuck in and seeing the produce in the kitchen at the end.
Home with mam always felt like home. There were notes everywhere — little bits of paper with workings out for shopping, reminders and plans. Sometimes only she could understand them, but they showed how her mind was always busy, always thinking ahead, always taking care of everyone.
Mam loved animals, especially her adopted cats. She recently purchased state-of-the-art cat beds for outdoors, because they deserved only the best! She absolutely spoiled Gemma’s dog, Freddy, with packets of ham or cooked chicken whenever she visited Barnard Castle, he was like another grandson — there was always room in her heart for animals.
She adored her godson, Shaun, who visited her daily. They shared so much in common, and she truly cherished their time together, Linda always asking ‘ are you hungry son’ as he walked through the door. She loved watching Emmerdale or Coronation Street with him, and sometimes Strictly Come Dancing or The Masked Singer. They also enjoyed cookery programmes together — little moments that brought her so much joy, laughter, and happiness.
She loved her simple comforts — her music, her soaps, YouTubers, baking, and knitting. She loved playing bingo with the family at Gemma’s house and somehow nearly always seemed to win. She loved family quizzes, enjoying the laughter, the competition, and just being together. And of course, we can’t forget mam’s famous jam and her Christmas chutney — things she made with love and shared with pride. Alongside those, she was such a chef in the kitchen, making cakes, savoury pies, fudge, lemon meringues, and caramel shortbread — treats that we will always remember and treasure.
She amazed us all with her ability to quickly ‘knock together’ cookery exhibits for the show, ,just for the fun of it — and regularly seemed to win first, second, or even third prizes — it felt like her entries were never without a prize.
Mam was the heart of our family. Life feels different without her. Quieter. Harder. But we are so lucky to have had her as ours. So lucky for the love she gave, the memories she leaves behind, and the part of her that lives on in all of us. We will miss her every single day. But we will keep talking about her, and carrying her with us in everything we do.
Thank you, mam, for everything. We love you always and forever.’
Linda was born on 24th February 1956 in Elswick, Newcastle, youngest child of Leo and Irene Dempsey, sister for Maureen and Tony. She attended Ushaw Moor school until she was 16 then she went on to work at Boots in Northumberland Street , Newcastle. Linda met George -always known as Geordie – in 1973 they were married on 1st November 1975. Linda continued working until Stu was born, then when Stu was about three or four years old, the family moved to Prudhoe where Gemma was born.
In 1986, they moved to Stanhope to run the general dealers and licensed corner shop that was known then as ‘Murphys’ next to the Queen’s Head on the Front Street. Between them both, Geordie was more behind the scenes and Linda was the face of the shop. It was from then that not only Linda but the whole family made life-long friendships.
One friendship that started around day one of the family arriving in Stanhope was with Carol and John Emerson and their children. Over the years, they shared so much together—time in Aberdeen, laughter, time at one others houses , countless little moments that brought us closer. Linda went to Scotland with Carol, they got up to mischief – rolling around on a tartan carpet, in their tartan pyjamas, obviously after a drink or two. They shared meals, celebrations, seen family members born, even the simplest of days felt special when they were all together. The two families became so intertwined that it often felt like one big, extended family—full of love, laughter, and memories that they will always treasure.
In 1995, the shop closed for good, with the family still living in the house above. They moved to Ashcroft for a short two years before been very happy to move to 17 Willard Grove. Sadly, at this time, Geordie suddenly passed away, shortly after him and Linda had become grandparents. Linda was left grieving at a young age as not only had she lost her husband but also her mam and dad within the year.
After Geordie’s passing , Linda poured her energy and love into helping others. She dedicated herself to charities close to her heart, including the British Heart Foundation — a cause that meant a lot to her — and Smile for a Child. If there was a good cause that needed funding, Linda was there. After the 2001 Tsunami, Linda baked her infamous pastries and sold them outside on a stall. She raised an incredible £1.4k in three hours for the cause and it didn’t stop there. If there was someone or some group or charity in need, she was there, raising money through her bakery and sewing skills.
It made sense to found a charity herself eventually and this is where her Godson, Shaun, came in. She spent her last six years for that local charity – 123 Help 4 Families. She loved every moment of it, the giving, the sorting, the wrapping, the fundraising and all the emotions that come with helping others in need.
Her heart was at the centre of it, enjoying the work that helped the families who accessed the charity – which provides everything a family will need to enjoy Christmas, including the dinner, gifts and more. Linda was working at that right up to Christmas Eve, sorting, bagging gifts, everything needed by these families to enjoy the festive season. She was at the centre of the distribution with volunteer drivers, including son, Stu and his wife, Sal, collecting the bags from her house. Although she was clearly not well, she stood in her doorway supervising the collections and waiting until the drivers were out of sight before she went back into her home – – and that was just two days before she died.
May she now rest in peace, remembered for her help to all those less fortunate than herself. Truly a woman of substance, of empathy and one who worked hard for others, who loved her family and friends and did her best for strangers in need.
Rev Heather read the story of the Good Samaritan, one that summed Linda up perfectly. She continued with the sermon and prayers, ending with the congregation invited to recite the Lord’s Prayer. The second hymn, ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ was sung before the Commendation, the Blessing and Farewell.
Linda’s cortege left the chapel to the music of Guns N Roses singing November Rain – fitting as it was pouring down outside as many followed to her final resting place in Crosshill Cemetery.
The retiring collection will be put to good use for the charity she helped to found – 123 Help 4 Families. Linda’s legacy will live on through the charity and her help, her warmth, her smile will never be forgotten by Stanhope folk and those in the wider community who she helped.
