Linda Gale Holladay

Linda Gale Davis Holladay, age 86, of Audubon, Pennsylvania, passed away on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Linda was born on January 14, 1940, in Los Angeles, California, the eldest daughter of Garold F. and Bertha J. (Broan) Davis. When three years old, Linda was struck by polio while she simultaneously battled chicken pox. Her left side was paralyzed but within a year she learned to walk again. That early fight tells you much about who she was: she did not give up. She suffered the pain of post-polio syndrome her entire adult life.

The summer before sixth grade, her family moved to Holladay, Utah. There she was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by a neighbor friend. The Gospel of Jesus Christ became the steady backbone of her life and transformed her family. Her father became kind and considerate in ways he had not been before. Linda recognized God's hand in all of it.

Linda met James Eugene Holladay, Jr. at Brigham Young University (BYU) when she gave a talk at a worship service. Gene was in the congregation. He said he was so impressed that he had to meet her. Their courtship was long and winding, but it ended with Linda knowing she would marry him. They were sealed (married) in the Salt Lake Temple on November 10, 1961. Together they raised five children.

She wrote of her marriage: "After twenty-four years of marriage, I love Gene more today than I have ever loved him. Many times Gene has had to give one hundred percent of himself to our marriage, and many times I have given one hundred percent. At all times, the sacrifice has been worth it."

The family moved from Utah to Oklahoma, California, Florida, back to Utah, and eventually to Pennsylvania, where they lived near Valley Forge. Linda described the move to Pennsylvania as both the hardest and the best thing the family ever did, as it stretched the family in ways that deepened their faith and love.

Music was woven through Linda's life. In high school, she sang in a cappella choirs, mixed ensembles, and performed as a vocal soloist. She studied music as a minor and performed in choirs at BYU. Later in life, she sang solos in church and led choirs as church music director. She cherished planning Christmas Programs celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ through music. But music was never merely a performance for Linda — it was how she expressed her deepest emotions and how she worshiped God.

Linda served in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in many callings, one of her favorites was teaching. She had a remarkable gift: when she taught a lesson the participants not only gained knowledge but left changed. She considered that the highest form of education.

Near the close of her life, Linda wrote these words in her personal history: "The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It is a tool meant to be used in solving our problems. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He lives. I know He lives, and because He lives, life is eternal. Life will be hard, but it will be good."

Linda lived exactly that way — a woman of extraordinary faith, endurance, music, and love who chose to live rather than merely endure. She is survived by her sister Karen Cranney, her five children — Garold (Donna Hunt), Johnathan (Stephanie Izutsu), Benjamin (Wendy Wells), Jamelynn (Melanie Kunkel), and Lace (Jeffrey Olsen) — twenty-four grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Eugene Holladay, her parents, and her younger sister, Kass Roe.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend her funeral service at Larkin Mortuary-Riverton at 3688 W 12600 S, Riverton, Utah on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Visitation will be from 10:00 - 10:45 AM, with a service to follow at 11:00 AM. Burial will follow in the Valley View Memorial Park, West Valley City, UT.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to the Humanitarian Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Services will be streamed via Zoom. You may watch by clicking "watch services."