Linda Edington

Linda Kay Johnson Edington, age 78 of Clarksville, passed away on Monday, September 24, 2018 at Tennova Healthcare.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, September 29, 2018 at Madison Street United Methodist Church with Rev. Harriet Bryan officiating.
The Edington family will receive friends from 10:30 a.m. until the hour of service at the church.
Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Linda is now enjoying a reunion with her parents, and in laws along with several K-9 friends. While living in Murfreesboro she was a member of the Murfreesboro Rainbow girls. While attending Central High School in Murfreesboro, she was a drum majorette and was proficient playing the clarinet. After graduation, she worked for the Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C. Returning back to to Tennessee she attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority. In 1958 Linda Kay Johnson married Ernest M. Edington, Jr. Soon after that, moved to Memphis, TN. While there, she attended the Memphis Academy of Art and studied sculpture in bronze as well as other media. In 1963 she became a military wife and for the next thirty years was active in all military support groups in the United States, England, and Korea. Having an ability to learn other languages, she was able to speak French and Korean thus making host country residence friends by communicating in their language. During this time she won many prestigious awards for community service. In many countries she taught cooking classes and wrote a cookbook with two printings edited. In 1985 when returning to Clarksville, she became involved in the Clarksville Garden Club and became a certified floral arranger for National Counsel of Garden Clubs. While involved in the National Counsel of Garden Clubs she was Energy Chairman. In her capacity as Energy Chair, she became the first editor of their environment newsletter. For example, Linda had the ability to combine two sticks, a rock and piece of moss to create a uniquely, and unusual, and beautiful design. She became known for her arrangements and won many awards. During her spare time she became Princess Swamp Water, and was the official story teller for the Custom House Museum, telling children stories and writing amateur plays. Her character Princess Swamp Water is based on her Cherokee heritage. Linda Kay has attended cooking schools in Florence, Italy, and London. She also was invited to exhibit Floral Designs in New England, Paris France, Seoul Korea, and Tokyo Japan. In 1999, Linda Kay opened the Looking Glass Restaurant, and the food served there reflected the many experiences of her travels; the food was a combination of European and American food with a touch of Southern. As was noted when The Looking Glass was featured on Tennessee Crossroads, one of the things besides the food that made the Looking Glass special was the “Zen” Garden, Koi pond and whimsical decorations. The Looking Glass became a four star restaurant where family recipes were prepared to perfection. Her reputation for crab cakes and nillanut muffins were known by all. While being on the Red Cross board for the Montgomery County chapter, each year she hosted an annual Escoffer Dinner, donating food and service. In 1997, she won the annual prestigious Athena Award for outstanding women. She was a member of Tennessee Leadership class of 1996. Since coming to Clarksville, Linda Kay has been a member of Madison Street United Methodist Church and a member of the Altar Guild.
Linda Kay is survived by her husband of sixty years, E. Mac Edington, DDS, three sons, Ernest III, (Pam); Conrad, (Alison); and Eric (Eri) along with five grandchildren, Ernest-Ashley; Conrad Reid, Emery, Shea, and Eric “Little Mac”.
Memorial contributions may be made to APSU Foundation, P.O. Box 4417, Clarksville, Tn 37044 MEMO, for the Edington Family Fine Arts Scholarship or the Mac and Linda Kay Edington Scholarship Endowment at UT College of Dentistry, UT Health Science Center, Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, 62 S. Dunlap, Suite 500, Memphis, Tn. 38163.
Condolences may be made online at www.NaveFuneralHomes.com