Linda Lee Priest (September 1st, 1943 - April 27th, 2025)

Trailblazer, Fighter, Mother, Grandmother, Advocate

Linda Lee Priest, a courageous pioneer, fierce advocate, and beloved matriarch, went to the Lord on Sunday, April 27th, 2025. A true testament to perseverance and purpose, Linda overcame polio as a child and went on to become not only a survivor, but a thriver—transforming her challenges into a lifelong mission of advocacy and achievement.

Linda was one of the first women to complete the Peachtree Road Race in a wheelchair, a proud and accomplished athlete and a tireless voice for accessibility and inclusion. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia State University with a degree in therapeutic recreation, and went on to lead and devote many years of her career as training director and coordinator for the Americans with Disabilities Act Center. She was also a founding member and President of the Post-Polio Chapter of Atlanta, where she offered mentorship, friendship, and hope to many.

Beyond her advocacy and athleticism, Linda was a woman of deep faith. She was an active member of Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church and formerly of Sugar Hill Methodist Church, where she found both spiritual strength and community.

Linda is survived by her daughter, Laura Broward and son-in-law, Doug, and her son, Paul Priest and daughter-in-law, Betsy, along with her cherished granddaughters, Ella and Sage. Born in Nashville, Georgia on September 1st, 1943, Linda was the proud daughter of O.B. and Gwendolyn Williams, loving sister to Owen Williams, and loyal friend whose legacy will live on in the lives she touched.

Linda's life reminds us that strength is not the absence of struggle, but the grace with which it is met. Her impact endures—in the laws she helped shape, the barriers she broke, and the countless people she inspired.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 11 AM in the Chapel of Lovein Funeral Home with Rev. Mark Addington officiating. Interment will follow in the Old City Cemetery. Visitation is one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

A celebration of her life will be planned at a later date for friends and family to gather and honor her memory.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Linda's name to the Atlanta Post-Polio Association (https://www.atlantapostpolio.com/) or Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (https://fodac.org/).