Linda Stafford

Linda Ellen Sellards Austin Stafford of Cookeville passed away on Nov. 30, 2016, at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. She was 77. A informal celebration of Linda's life will be held from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law Laura and John Clemons at 3415 Shipley Rd. in Cookeville. Family will share memories of Linda beginning at 2 p.m. Linda was born in Wayne, W. Va., on March 19, 1939, to Harry Leon and Edith Jackson Sellards. The Sellards family moved to Apopka, Fla., in 1945. A 1957 graduate of Apopka High School, Linda attended Orlando Junior College, where she met Hugh Thorpe Austin. The two married in 1958, making their home in Cocoa, Fla., where the family lived until 1976. In 1978, Linda and her children moved to Whitleyville, Tenn., where she married her second husband, Dan Stafford. She returned to Florida for several years to care for her parents, moving back to Tennessee in 2007. A talented artist, Linda drew and painted. She was a professional seamstress for years and carried on the family tradition in the nursery business. She devoted the majority of her life to her family; in particular, she was a fierce and protective navigator for her children through good times and bad. She is survived by her five children and their spouses: Laura Austin Clemons and John Clemons of Cookeville; Hugh Austin of Orlando, Fla.; Sandra Austin Mello and Brian Mello of Oakland, Calif.; Will Austin and Jennifer Lackey Austin of Nashville; and Rick Austin of Nashville. Her grandchildren are Chad Austin and Mandy Austin and fiance Andy Storey of Orlando, and her great-grandchildren are Liam, Logan and Lyric. Linda's brothers and sisters and their spouses, all of Florida, include Berta Sellards Hall of Winter Park, Glenna Sellards Deloach of Ocala, Harry Leon Sellards of Deland, David and Betty Sellards of Clermont, Jack and Jane Lyn Sellards of Apopka, and John and Priscilla Sellards of Leesburg. Linda was preceded in death by her parents, as well as her sister Judy Sellards Wall. Among the special friends she leaves behind is Holly Bricker of Cookeville. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, any memorial donations in Linda's honor be made to the Putnam County Animal Shelter or to a charity of choice. Hooper-Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home of Cookeville is in charge of arrangements, 526-6111. You may share your thoughts and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com.