Obituary of Linda Randolph

Flight tower, we have multiple system failures: permission to Take-Off requested. >Permission granted 6:40am, 3/19/20 for: Linda P. Randolph departing from Eastern Niagara Hospital. A Lockport native, wife of the late Roger H. Randolph, daughter of the late Ralph Herbert and Evelyn (Slater) Pickles, Linda was a 4H-er early on, who attended Syracuse University, and then obtained her undergrad from Buffalo State in Home Economics. She utilized her degree here in Lockport working for Cornell Cooperative Extension, teaching home economics to “household managers” who were in need of guidance and support. She moved on to teach in the Lockport school system for 20 years+, primarily at Roy B. Kelley, in 3rd to 6th grade, completing her Masters at Buffalo State. She made many great friends along the way, and remaining socially active with a couple circles of treasured friends to the end. Linda was a rock solid pillar who loved and cared. She was extraordinary in the way she almost always seemed to be able to be “with and for” people: be they friends, family or acquaintances. She had the most incredible gift of listening, without interrupting or infusing her values into the mix. While generally rather quiet, contained, encouraging and supportive in her various life roles as wife, mother, teacher, daughter, sister, grandmother and great grandmother, Linda could also be a partying, wise-cracking, sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek talking, gag-pulling prankster and record cranker (notably, once, playing her sons AC/DC records for her friends, much to her sons surprise when he returned home late one night.) Although Linda did not closely follow the stock market, its no secret that she was a devoted Marlboroterian, active in what appeared to be, at times, an almost single-handed effort to keep the floundering tobacco market afloat. A natural red-feathered beauty in her youth: rarely uncouth, but notable when she wasn’t. A rare, rare bird, hard to characterize or pigeon-hole really: often calm, unflappable, and giving. Yet, even as an adult, a little devil and secret-Halloween-participator, once quietly stalking about her neighborhood in an old beat-up giant men’s winter coat and a wolf’s mask, never revealing her identity to her befuddled neighbors who she harassed with grunts and pokes: a pull-your-leg lover. A magnificent rascal, quietly charismatic, and a beneficent creature. Linda lost her partner of 66 years, Roger (Dodger,) a year ago. And although she no doubt had many splendid moments since that time, an honest reflection reveals that, most probably, the flame of life and the joy of flying had been greatly diminished since finding herself without her wingman by her side. Overall, Linda lived her life quite fully, enjoying the wind beneath her wings. Linda, love you forever and goodbye, see you reflected in every bird and star up in the sky. Linda leaves behind her son Ronald (Jessica) Randolph of Ithaca; one grandson and two great grandchildren; siblings, Sylvia Kellogg, Gary D. Pickles and his companion Judy Williams, Marcia Van Brocklin, Mark (Joan) Pickles; several nieces and nephews. Linda was predeceased by her daughter, Lisa Jean Randolph. Linda gave to many charities, please feel free to do as you see fit in her memory. Online condolences and Linda stories can be shared at pruddenandkandt.com or obituaries.lockportjournal.com A primordial memorial and a cemetery send-off will occur when the dust duth settle.