[May 24, 2013] A Life Remembered: A Longtime City Employee with Strong Faith Tweet TWIN FALLS, May 24, 2013 (The Times-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For many years, you could expect to be greeted by Linda Bowen after walking through the doors of the Twin Falls Fire Department. And last week, just about every Twin Falls firefighter who was able to attend Linda's memorial service was there. The room overflowed with city employees. Three fire trucks, and other emergency service vehicles, were parked outside, Fire Chief Ron Clark said. Firefighters led the funeral procession to the Twin Falls Cemetery. "At the funeral service, I was thinking to myself, 'She was a co-worker of many people, but she was a friend to everyone,'" Clark said. Twin Falls resident Linda Bowen, 55, a mainstay in the fire department for 32 years, died May 14. When I talked with her cousin Edwin Kimball on the phone, he described Linda as a kind, honest, joyful person. "She's probably one of the best people I've ever known," he said. Kimball said Linda was "somebody that you like to be around" and had a strong faith in God. She tried to help anybody who came along and did good things for others. Karen Tribulla and Linda's other close friends celebrated her 56th birthday on May 17 at Jakers Bar & Grill Restaurant. It was just a few days after Linda died. Recently, Tribulla found cards that Linda sent her in the mail. She read one of them to me on the phone. "I was reminiscing about how beautifully she wrote cards and the nice things she had to say," she said. Tribulla said Linda was a devoted daughter who took good care of her mother until she died. Linda was also a big Broncos fan and used to come over to Tribulla's house to watch football until she got a big-screen television last year. Another of Linda's interests: ice skating. Tribulla said her friend used to go to Sun Valley with others from church to watch ice skating shows. Linda served in a number of ways in her church, including as a Sunday school secretary and with the music ministry. "She was in charge of special music up until she started getting sick," Tribulla said. "That was a big thing with her." Linda loved music and singing -- especially as a member of the First Assembly of God. And she sang for years at Christmas events around town. Tribulla said Linda frequently bought Bibles and gave them to others. And Linda used to tell friends that she wanted to be a minister's wife someday. Last year, Tribulla and her husband took Linda on a trip for her birthday to Orlando, Fla. "Knowing that we made her happy last year was a big blessing to us," she said. Tribulla recalls her husband and Linda going on a lot of rides -- especially, laughing and having lots of fun on Splash Mountain. And that trip included lots of shopping. "She liked to go to flea markets," Tribulla said. "We shopped till we dropped." They had plans to go on other trips in the future. Linda wanted to attend a camp meeting by television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. As a city employee, Clark said, Linda was loyal and dedicated. Jack Barnes, battalion chief for the Twin Falls Fire Department, said Linda was helpful and knowledgeable in her job. "She was just a really good person." Barnes remembers laughing with Linda about her shorthand -- a skill she'd learned many years ago. "In some of our meetings, she'd be taking notes in her shorthand but couldn't remember how to read it," he said, and they laughed about it together. Linda took an early retirement in March, and Barnes said he's disappointed that she didn't get a chance to enjoy it. Clark told Linda goodbye for the last time on May 3 just before his former employee was going to be transported to a long-term care facility. She couldn't speak, but her eyes were open and she was smiling. They communicated by writing. "We said goodbye to each other," Clark said. Eleven days later she died. Clark said Linda was a "very religious person" who was devout in her faith. "From that standpoint, there's absolutely no question in anyone's mind where she is," he said. "Personally, I've taken comfort in knowing where she is now." ___ (c)2013 The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) Visit The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) at magicvalley.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]