John Ernest Linney
John Ernest Linney, 81, while surrounded by his family, slipped peacefully into the arms of the Lord on June 8, 2013, in Houston.
John was born to Ernest Orion Linney and Velma Mae Matthews on April 9, 1932, in Refugio, Texas. He graduated from Longview High School, where he played sports. He attended Tyler Junior College on a football scholarship and was the quarterback tha
t led them to the Junior College Championship Game in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. He holds many titles as an athlete, such as the Lone Star Conference Quarterback and the Ralph Todd Memorial Award as outstanding college athlete.
John received his bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and began his high school coaching and teaching career in Bryan, Texas, before moving to Beaumont High School in 1959, his baseball team won the 5A State Championship. He the became head coach and athletic director in Lockhart before becoming principal of the new integrated HS facilities with a successful transition, one of his proudest achievements.
In 1966, he began a successful corporate career with IBM in Austin before moving to regional offices in Dallas. He has worked in management in Sioux Falls, S.D., Louisville, Ky., and in Cincinnati, Ohio. He then returned to Houston, where he put together successful sales forces for IBM, Exxon Office Systems, and Compac, just to name a few. He recognized and helped young people to successfully achieve their potential as their branch manager, regional manager, and vice-president of sales and marketing. He has received many and varied corporate honors during his career for the success of these offices.
After retiring for the second time, from the corporate world, he returned to his first love of teaching and coaching at Hildebrandt Intermediate School in Klein ISD and spent the last nine years of his life coaching seventh grade football, boys and girls pole vaulting, and teaching social studies and “life” in the classroom. In 2009 he received the Teacher of the Year Award.
John married his high school sweetheart, Beverly Snider, in 1951. They raised four sons: John, Jr. (“Rusty”), Mike, Pat and Tim. He spent many hours coaching his sons in Little League and Pee Wee Football. He served his community as school board member, church youth counselor and on other district committees.
John was preceded in death by his parents and his son, Rusty. He survived by his wife of 62 years; sons: Mike, Pat and Tim; grandchildren: Jennifer, Alison, Patrick, Shannon, Madison and Garrett Linney; brother, Larry and his family, of San Diego, Calif.; extended Snider families; and countless friends around the country.
Memorials may be given to: John and Beverly Linney Scholarships, c/o SFA Alumni Association, PO Box 6092, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962; John Wesley UMC, 5830 Bermuda Dunes, Houston, Texas 77069; Boys and Girls Country 188806 Road, Hockley, Texas 77447 or the charity of your choice.
