Linda Janiece Gracy

Linda Janiece Gracy, née Kearns, passed away on September 7, 2026, in San Jose. She is survived by her sons Joe (Kelly) and Tom (Jennifer), her grandson Will, her brother C.L. “Charley” Kearns (Frank Ching), and her sister Donna Rotolo (Frankie).

Linda was born on January 19, 1947, in McPherson, Kansas. Her parents, Clarence & Dollie Kearns, were both ordained ministers. Clarence was an Evangelical Quaker minister and evangelist. When he was away at evangelistic meetings, Dollie would sometimes fill in at the pulpit. During Linda’s childhood, the family moved to various pastoral postings in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and, eventually, California.

Linda briefly attended high school at Blackford High School, in San Jose. She spent most of her high school years at Friends Haviland Academy, in Haviland, Kansas, from which she graduated in 1965.

After high school, Linda, along with her brother Charley, put down roots in the Bay Area. She found a clerical job at FMC, and began working her way through college. She eventually earned a degree in Business Education, from San Jose State.

While in college, Linda met Ben Gracy, a young middle school teacher. The two met at Cambrian Park Church of the Nazarene, in San Jose. They married in 1970, and soon bought a home in San Jose, where they would raise their family.

After graduating college, Linda briefly taught at Oak Grove High School, until her first son, Joe, was born in 1974. Linda left teaching to be a stay-at-home parent. In 1977, her second son, Tom, was born. During the 1980’s, Linda was a Cub Scout den leader, in Pack 577, and a home distributor for the Shaklee Corporation.

Through the 1970’s and into the 1990’s Linda and Ben were members of Los Gatos Christian Church. They were later members of Lone Hill Church, and, finally, Cathedral of Faith, both in San Jose.

In the early 1990’s Linda returned to teaching school. She worked at Valley Christian Middle & High Schools, where she taught Special Education and Computers. In the early 2000’s, Linda’s final teaching position was as a Special Education substitute teacher, for Santa Clara County.

After teaching, Linda enjoyed spending time with her grandson Will, and involvement at Cathedral of Faith. She helped teach the “New Believers” class for many years.

In 2015, Ben passed away, after a brief illness. Before his passing, he and Linda reached 45 years of marriage.

In 2016, Linda moved to Belmont Village of San Jose, due to Alzheimer’s Disease. Linda found joy in the visits of family and friends. She enjoyed the activities and sense of community at Belmont Village.

As Alzheimer’s robbed Linda of her memories and abilities, her mind held on to song lyrics, which brought her and the Belmont staff joy and laughter. She loved to sing Roger Miller’s “King of the Road”, as well as a modified version of “You Are My Sunshine”. The staff altered the lyrics to that song to be “You Are My Linda”. They would sing it with her to bring a smile to her face, when she was sullen.

A funeral service will be held on September 16, at 10am, at Alameda Family Funeral & Cremation, 12341 Saratoga Sunnyvale Rd, in Saratoga. Linda will be laid to rest, immediately following the service, at 11:30am, at Los Gatos Memorial Park, 2255 Los Gatos Almaden Rd, in San Jose.

Flowers may be sent to Alameda Family Funeral & Cremation, in Saratoga. Donations to the following organizations, in Linda’s memory, would be greatly appreciated: The Alzheimer’s Association (Alzheimer's Association ) and The American Diabetes Association (American Diabetes Association).