Linda Dockery lost her battle to cancer but not before touching thousands of lives and forever leaving her mark on those who loved her most and whose love she returned a thousand times over—her family.

Linda was a lifelong educator and while her bio highlights important milestones in her career, they do not reflect the many hugs and high fives she handed out to students, the tears she wiped away, the young teachers she mentored, the support staff she advocated for and the colleagues whose successes she cheered on.

Linda grew up in Syracuse, NE where she graduated from high school and went on to earn a Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1968. Her career as an educator began in Everly and Strawberry Point, Iowa where she met and married Duane Bolt, an enlisted soldier in the Army. They were soon deployed to Japan where their son, Jason, was born. She taught for the Department of Defense before returning stateside to Fort Carson, Colorado where their daughter Rachel was born. They then moved to Walthill, NE where Linda directed Nebraska's first European Youth Choral.

After divorcing, Linda and her children moved to Ralston, NE in 1979 and she began teaching in their public school system. While there, she attended school herself and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1984 with a Masters in Education Administration.

Her first principalship was in 1984 at St. Paul Elementary School in St. Paul, NE. From there she and the children moved to York, NE in 1987 where she became the elementary principal at Lincoln Elementary School. While serving in that capacity, she was the Chairwoman of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators and was chosen in 1993 as the National Elementary Principal of the year for the state of Nebraska.

In 1995 she moved to Prince William County, Virginia outside of Washington D.C. where she remained until her retirement in 2009. During her tenure there, her school, Featherstone Elementary, was designated a School of Excellence in 2003.

While living in Virginia, she met and married her forever love, Jim Dockery. Together they built a life that served as a model for others and a reminder that God does indeed answer prayers.

They bought a beach house at the Outer Banks in North Carolina that was enjoyed by friends and family for many years. The time that Jim and Linda spent there inspired their love of beaches and they traveled to many over the years…Cancun, Hawaii, Turks and Caicos, Grand Cayman, and many others throughout the Caribbean.

When they weren't traveling someplace exotic, you might have found them watching a Broadway musical at the Kennedy Center, at the Lied Center here in Lincoln, or the Orpheum in Omaha. And they never missed an opportunity to cheer on their favorited teams, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2012 they were both retired so they moved to Nebraska to be closer to family-especially their grandchildren whose activities they loved attending and whose lives they felt grateful to be a part.

Linda's life in Nebraska was filled with the things and people she loved. She loved living at their home in Woodland Hills and worked tirelessly to decorate it. She spent many hours volunteering with the Backpack program through her church, First Plymouth, and enjoyed sharing her talents on stage of the Lincoln Community Playhouse.

Linda is survived by her loving husband, Jim Dockery, her children and their families: Jason and Alexia Bolt-Harrison, Warner, and Scarlett, and Willis and Rachel Scofield-Ashlyn, Ella, Addison, Wyatt and great-grandson Drew, her brother and sister-in-law, Dale and Nancy Kruse, and her nieces, Dacia and Tai.

She will live forever in the hearts of those she loved and who loved her…

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lincoln Food Bank or The American Cancer Society.

Linda's Celebration of Life will be July 14th 11:00 a.m. at First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, NE and her interment is July 15th 11:00 a.m. at Park Hill Cemetery in Syracuse, NE.

Arrangements By: Fusselman Allen Harvey Funeral Home, Syracuse, NE

Condolences to www.fusselmanallenharvey.com