Linda Kay Easterling Nutt

Linda Nutt, born Linda Easterling, passed away unexpectedly on the evening of August 6, 2026, at 7:33 p.m., following an automobile accident. She was 79.

Born on February 16, 1947, in the small town of Fordyce, Arkansas, Linda was the daughter of Jackie and Aubrey Easterling. As an only child, she shared a close bond with her mother. She attended Southern Arkansas University, initially pursuing elementary education at her mother’s encouragement before following her own creative calling and changing her major to art. Though her mother may not have approved at first, art remained an enduring part of Linda’s spirit and life.

Never one to stop learning or creating, Linda later returned to school and came within only a few credits of graduating at the top of her class with honors. Although life led her in another direction, she never gave up on her artistic spirit. She passed that creative gift on to her daughter and found peace, purpose, and escape through painting.

Linda’s life took her from Arkansas to Tampa, Florida; Dallas, Texas; and Houston, Texas, where she sold her abstract artwork. She was the proud mother of two children, James Downs and Lori Nutt, and above all else, she wished for her family to be together. After losing her mother in the late 1990s, Linda returned to Tampa to be near her son and daughter, fulfilling the dream she held close to her heart.

Linda was known for her beauty, inside and out; her constant positivity; and her unmistakable signature scent of roses. Life had given her more hardships than most people should ever have to bear, but she faced them with strength and grace. She learned to slow down and smell the roses—and eventually made them her artistic challenge. When someone asked her to paint a rose, she began a determined quest to paint the perfect one. “I will conquer cancer and the rose,” she would say.

Although she did not have grandchildren, Linda shared her heart and home with a revolving door of beloved four-legged babies. Her love for art, beauty, and family filled the lives of everyone fortunate enough to know her.

Linda is survived by her son, James Downs, and her daughter, Lori. As the only child of Jackie and Aubrey Easterling, she carried forward the memory and legacy of her parents. She will also be remembered by the family.

As a loving mother, a gifted artist, a woman of resilience, and someone who never stopped seeing beauty in the world. Her memory will live on in her children, in the art she created, and in every rose that reminds us to pause, breathe, and appreciate life.