Linda Jean Farley Robillard: A Life of Love, Laughter, and Making the Impossible Possible

Linda Jean Farley Robillard, 84, completed her remarkable life journey on February 23, 2025, in Noble, Oklahoma, leaving behind a tapestry of lives forever brightened by her indomitable spirit and unwavering love.

Born on June 11, 1940, in Boston, Massachusetts, Linda was destined to warm the hearts of all she encountered. A proud daughter of John and Eulalia Farley, she carried their generosity, creativity, and humor throughout her life. Linda's parents recognized early her spirited independence and curiosity, and encouraged her love of learning. She received her education at Sacred Heart High School in Newton, Massachusetts and went on to graduate from Boston State Teachers College.

Linda's greatest adventure began on September 8, 1962, when she married Eugene Antoine Robillard of Boston, Massachusetts. They moved to Texas, where Linda's true character revealed itself two weeks into marriage when she went to a segregated laundromat to do the laundry. Confronted with a "Whites Only" sign in the window, she innocently inquired why the machines couldn't handle her husband's black socks. When understanding dawned, dismayed yet undeterred, she simply found a laundromat across town where everyone was welcome—a perfect illustration of how Linda navigated life: with humor, humanity, and an unwavering moral compass.

Her three daughters—Claire Robillard Franke, Elise Robillard Stansell, and Aimee Robillard—were her pride and joy, though her heart had room for many more. Linda's legacy continues through five treasured grandchildren and their families—Amina Benalioulhaj and Darren Tindell, Sean and Charee Mann with their daughter Cailey and their sons Elijah and Justin, Khalil and Powell Benalioulhaj and their daughter Mila, Kevin Mann and Taua Manuma, and Evangelinn and Aaron Shroyer—each carrying a piece of her extraordinary spirit forward.

She embraced sons-in-law Saïd Benalioulhaj, Dale Mann, Victor Rook, Charles Franke, Jack Stansell, and Loren Bredeson as her own, creating a family bound not just by blood but by love and shared values. Linda's family circle extended to include her former brother-in-law and lifelong friend Don Jones, her beloved nephews Daniel, Christopher, and Peter Griffin, her brother and sister in spirit John Pitchlynn and Waldi Pitchlynn, her beloved friend of over 55 years Paula Joe Allen, her son in spirit Monte Kitchens, Jr. and her daughter in spirit Maurine Jones.

Linda was a force of nature in Norman, Oklahoma. As a successful realtor who rose to president of the Norman Board of Realtors, she sold not just houses but the idea of home. She built meaningful relationships with many of her realtor-colleagues: Maxine and Russell Bates, Ruth Kelso, Barbara Canfield, Velma Barnes, and Gwen Holmes Arveson. Most impactfully, she built foundations of safety and dignity as a founder of the Norman Women's Resource Center and pioneer of Cleveland County's first network of safe houses for domestic abuse victims in the 1970s.

A lifelong Girl Scout who truly lived by the oath and law of the Girl Scouts, Linda was always prepared to help, loyal to humanity, and determined to make the world better. Her embrace of the LGBTQ+ community came naturally—love was love in Linda's world, no exceptions.

Her 34 years of sobriety were a testament to her resilience and commitment. In recovery rooms across Norman, she often said that "recovery is a journey, and I'm taking the scenic route." That scenic route saved her life and countless others, as she held out her hand to anyone struggling to find their way.

Although she made her home and community in Norman, she remained thoroughly Bostonian. Her love of the Red Sox and her joy when they won the world series in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018 knew no bounds. She loved Necco wafers, maple sugar candy, franks and beans with brown bread, and lobster, as only a New Englander could.

In her later years, Linda faced multiple sclerosis with characteristic grace and wisdom. Although the disease left her crippled and blind, she often said she was grateful for her blindness because "it allowed me to see others more clearly and in bright, beautiful color." Her mind remained sharp until the very end, and there was never a point at which she was not a source of wisdom, guidance, and inspiration to all around her.

Linda approached problems with creativity and humor. She famously told the story of how as a teenage Girl Scout leader at summer camp, her troop had dug a latrine—but positioned it 12 feet away from a blueberry bush. Linda insisted that campers should be able to sit on the latrine and eat blueberries simultaneously, so she had them fill in the newly dug latrine and move it 12 feet closer to the bushes. This story, which she delighted in telling throughout her life, perfectly captured Linda's practical yet whimsical approach to improving situations and her unique ability to make people believe in something better while bringing them along with good humor.

Her commitment to making the world better into all of her endeavors. Linda famously led a successful fight against Walmart's attempt to develop protected wildlife habitat off S. 36th Avenue in Norman. Thanks to her passionate advocacy, that part of town remains undeveloped to this day, providing a sanctuary for countless species.

Even as we mourn, we can almost hear her infectious laugh, see her eyes twinkling with mischief, and feel her unwavering belief that tomorrow can always be better than today if we work together to make it so.

Norman residents may not know that Linda was the person who named the infamous table at Othello's restaurant "La Tavola de la Verità" or "The Table of Truth," commemorating it with a brass plaque which she purchased and that still shines today. It was just one of the many ways she created spaces for authentic connection and meaningful conversation.

Those who were fortunate enough to join Linda at that table or anywhere else in her orbit were treated to her wisdom, often delivered with a smile and a nod to her favorite poets. She was proud to recite from memory the opening lines of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in Old English. She particularly loved Emily Dickinson's "I'm Nobody! Who are you?", finding in its lines the perfect expression of her own humble yet profound approach to changing the world.

Although she joins her parents, sister Doris, nephew Peter, and great-granddaughter Samia in whatever adventure awaits beyond this life, and she is certainly gathered with her dearest friends Mary Ellen Curran, Pat Jarrett, Ouida Blake, and Lois Waitz who preceded her into infinity—the blueprint of her heart and spirit remains with us all—a legacy of love, justice, creativity, and the courage to change the world for the better.

Linda leaves behind countless friends and has made an indelible mark on the community of Norman, Oklahoma. She will be greatly missed, but as she assured her family, "All you have to do is think of me and speak with me, and I will be with you in spirit."

A memorial service to honor Linda's life will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 1:00 pm at the West Wind Unitarian Universalist Church located at 1309 West Boyd in Norman. The family requests that all who knew Linda join them in celebrating her life with happy memories, great stories, and gratitude for all the good that she brought into this world.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to contribute in Linda's memory make a donation to the Women’s Resource Center of Norman and, more importantly, find a way to reach out to those in need and offer help—continuing the legacy of compassion and service that defined Linda's extraordinary life.

If you knew Linda, consider yourself lucky. If you didn't, know that your world is better because she lived in it. And if you want to honor her memory, find a wrong to right, extend love where there is hate, and laugh in the face of life's curiosities—Linda would approve.

To see a 2012 short film granddaughter Amina made of Linda 13 years ago: bit.ly/LindaFarleyRobillard

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