Linda Alice Matthews died Feb. 7, 2011 at Hospice of the Carolina Foothills after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was born March 11, 1949 in Houston, Texas, to Robert Lambert and Donna Hott. She attended Texas Tech University before joining American Airlines as a stewardess. She retired in 1974 and built a horse farm north of Dallas, raising and training Arabians. Her gelding Molikim won the Robert R. Cauldwell Memorial Trophy as AHSA Arabian Hunter/Jumper National Champion in 1984. In 1995, she and her husband Buck moved to the Tryon area to pursue her passion for fox hunting.

Linda is survived by her husband of 37 years and two sisters, Lisa Stockard and Robin Davis. A small wake for close friends is being planned for a later date. Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, 130 Forest Glen Drive, Columbus, N.C. 28722.