Elizabeth Ann Linebarger Obituary – Austin American-Statesman
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Elizabeth Ann Linebarger
Elizabeth Ann Linebarger was born on November 29, 1947 in Sinton, TX. Libby, a force of nature like no other, left us on December 1, 2021, barely more than a day after her 74th birthday.
And while each of us who knew her was heartbroken, each of us has a story – or more likely multiple stories – that will keep us laughing for years to come.
She laughed heartily, made great love, made friends for a lifetime and was always in charge. Even before she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015, she delivered instructions for her obituary, memorial service, memorial service, and funeral. She kicked cancer in the ass and tried like hell to defeat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a devastating, deadly disease. But while the disease took over her body, in the end she was still in control and approved of this message.
Libby catapulted himself as a valedictorian from Gregory-Portland High School, well on his way to a life of great achievement and a pattern of deep, long-standing friendships. She always felt that the “C” she got in college was grossly unfair as the rest of her grades were pure A – from elementary school to the Masters degree she got from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, made.
Libby was particularly proud of the three terms she served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995, at a time when the Texan legislature was in perpetual constitutional crisis and threatened court deadlines to fix its broken school financial system. House Speaker Pete Laney was determined to get the job done, so he made Libby chair of the House Public Education Committee and handed her the reins. Knowing how to herd cats, Libby brought lawmakers together in a marathon house meeting to pass the 1993 Robin Hood School Funding Act. It met the constitutional requirements and still serves as the basic framework for public school funding to this day.
The next day her picture appeared in every major state newspaper with her arms raised victoriously. Many friends called to congratulate her on her performance, but not a few who knew Libby’s penchant for tailoring excellence exclaimed, “Horizontal stripes? What were you thinking about wearing horizontal stripes?”
The governor who signed the bill was Ann Richards, who was elected in 1990 during Libby’s first term. Ann reached out to Libby during this race for political input and to act as a replacement for the road. So Libby loaded the Suburban with campaign literature, courtyard signs, other elected officials, aides, and an occasional Richards family member trudging across the state for Ann.
She and Ann shared a penchant for big hair and aqua-net, so Libby didn’t hesitate when she got the opportunity to reproduce the Texas Monthly cover, which featured Ann in all-white leather motorcycle clothing astride a crisp white motorcycle for one Fundraiser was seen. They scraped the tar off Libby’s hair and patted baby powder over it to make it snow white. The result was an eerie resemblance, not exactly twins, but close!
Ann also never hesitated to help Libby by performing at promotional events or acting as the chief roaster on a campaign fundraiser. Libby knew she would get a big turnout if Ann Richards were on the bill.
For Libby, however, the joy was not only in these accomplishments; it was the trip itself, especially if the journey was marked by good stories, good friends, well-placed profanity, lots of laughter, and more than a few “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” moments.
She has been a driving force behind the Steel Bluebonnets (since her legislature), the Bad Girls Emmaus Prayer Group (after the legislature), the corpus crew of high school girlfriends she loved for decades, dominos with the dames and their legion of friends. And there were stories of all of them.
Like when she opened the hotel bar for the Steel Bluebonnets at the Texas Democratic State Convention in Fort Worth, but the problem was that she wasn’t staying at that hotel. And no one could remember which hotel it was. The next day, Libby was moaning about a poor guest in room 618 with a $ 200 cash bill stuck on his hotel bill when State Representative Ernestine Glossbrenner spoke up and said, “I was wondering where this charge came from came! “She had already paid for it, arguing that it was the work of a good Democrat celebrating at Congress. What are the odds? Everyone laughed at it and Libby, of course, did well.
Libby left the legislature to focus on her family. Make no mistake, family has always been most important to Libby, starting with her “person”, Dale, to whom she was married for 47 years. On their honeymoon in Vegas, they won enough money at a game of keno to deposit a house down, and that became their magic keno numbers for years.
They raised a blended family of six and worked together to make Dale’s law firm the blockbuster hit it was. Early on, they ate 7-11 hot dogs in the office for dinner, and Libby learned to keep the books while doing a full-time job in education and still getting those kids to bed on time. And later, when she ran for office, she managed to bring election campaigns and blockades under one roof and still get dinner on the table and send the children to school.
She was immensely proud of her children’s achievements and never tired of telling news about what they were up to. And over time, what she loved most about her children was the grandchildren she placed at her disposal. All 11.
“Grammer” became a tremendous part of her life, repeating the Ann Richards joke that “grandchildren are our rewards for not strangling our children when we got the urge”. She especially loved teaching her grandson Sam Italian, not to rule out a bit of profanity, because, perché diavolo no? And she loved teaching them cooking, reading, accessories, travel, and life to the fullest. “Always accessorize” was not a fashion concept for Libby, but an irrevocable law. Her grandchildren had to know that.
With this family village, it never occurred to Libby to cook for one or two people – she cooked for an army or she cooked for no one. Along with endless food comes endless dishes, and Libby literally washed her fingerprints off over the years. She didn’t know this until she tried to get a Global Access Pass and thought for a moment about the possibility of a new career – undetectable criminals. But thought better.
Libby preceded her father and mother WC and Violet Andrews in death; her brother Chris Andrews; and son, Wesley Linebarger.
She is survived by her husband Dale Linebarger; five children: Roger Linebarger (Heather), Rebekkah Linebarger (Chris Mock), Brent Bockholt (Susan), David Linebarger (Gina Valerio) and Annie Linebarger (Jason Jones); 11 grandchildren; her sister Susie Andrews; Nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends too numerous to count.
Libby’s many friends and family will gather at First United Methodist Church, 1201 Lavaca, Austin TX at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 10th for a celebration of their lives, followed by a reception at the Linebarger home.
It roared through our lives like a force of nature, leaving behind good times, good memories, good works and unlimited laughter. And we’re all the better for that.
Hello Beautiful! Thanks for the laughs.
Published online December 04, 2021
Published in Austin American Statesman
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https://www.statesman.com/obituaries/p0170184