Linda D. Gilliam-Bembury

LINDA DENISE GILLIAM BEMBURY, age fifty-seven, entered into eternal rest peacefully on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at her home in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Linda was born on September 13, 1956 as the eldest daughter to Eddie Linwood Gilliam and Kathryn Coley Gilliam in Baltimore, Maryland. She was educated in the Baltimore City school system, received professional training in barbering, and worked for a time as a barber and hair stylist. She excelled in sales and held several positions over the years as sales manager for merchants in Maryland and Virginia. She worked closely with her devoted friend and companion, Jeffrey Blinken, in operating and managing their waterfront restaurant in Duck, North Carolina. Linda was an expert in preparing fudge recipes for the business, which was very popular with the Outer Banks clientele. She was a caring and affectionate individual who accepted Christ as her personal Savior, loved living, working in her business, and meeting people from different walks of life. She shared a special bond with her parents, maternal grandmother, siblings and aunts and also took pleasure in preparing delicious dishes for our many family gatherings. Linda was predeceased by: her maternal grandparents, Vernon and Lillie Ragsdale; paternal grandparents, Eddie and Estelle Gilliam; her sister, Donette Lisa Gilliam; her aunt, Vernell Johnson; and her uncle, Clem Gilliam. She leaves to cherish her memory: her loving parents, Eddie and Kathryn Gilliam of Pikesville, Md.; her devoted son, Alvin Kurt Bembury of Virginia Beach, Va.; her companion of over twenty years, Jeffrey Blinken of Kitty Hawk, N.C.; brother, Derrick Gilliam (Fawn) of York, Pa.; sister, Debbie Gilliam of Baltimore, Md.; grandson, Christian Kurt Bembury of Chesapeake, Va.; eleven aunts, Janice Byrd of Upper Marlboro, Md., Marguerita Ragsdale of Washington, D.C., Yvonne Nichols (Frank) of Spotsylvania, Va., Marion Ragsdale of Woodbury, Minn., Ursula Powell (James) of Glen Allen, Va., Kathleen Byer of Mt. Vernon, N.Y., Mary Whitaker of Pikesville, Md., Grace Beard of Glen Burnie, Md., Lucille Downs (Earnest) of Bronx, N.Y., Gloria Pride (Collis) of Petersburg, Va. and Doris Gilliam of Baltimore, Md.; uncle, Joseph Gilliam (Shirley) of Cambrin Heights, N.Y.; great-aunt, Queen Ragsdale of Chevy Chase, Md.; five nieces, Ciara Gilliam of Pittsburgh, Pa., Amber Reid of Pikesville, Maryland, Brandi and Carmen Gilliam of Hagerstown, Md. and Mya Gilliam of York, Pa.; a nephew, Derek Gilliam of York, Pa.; and a host of cousins, other relatives and friends. Obituary LINDA DENISE GILLIAM BEMBURY, age fifty-seven, entered into eternal rest peacefully on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at her home in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Linda was born on September 13, 1956 as the eldest daughter to Eddie Linwood Gilliam and Kathryn Coley Gilliam in Baltimore, Maryland. She was educated in the Baltimore City school system, received professional training in barbering, and worked for a time as a barber and hair stylist. She excelled in sales and held several positions over the years as sales manager for merchants in Maryland and Virginia. She worked closely with her devoted friend and companion, Jeffrey Blinken, in operating and managing their waterfront restaurant in Duck, North Carolina. Linda was an expert in preparing fudge recipes for the business, which was very popular with the Outer Banks clientele. She was a caring and affectionate individual who accepted Christ as her personal Savior, loved living, working in her business, and meeting people from different walks of life. She shared a special bond with her parents, maternal grandmother, siblings and aunts and also took pleasure in preparing delicious dishes for our many family gatherings. Linda was predeceased by: her maternal grandparents, Vernon and Lillie Ragsdale; paternal grandparents, Eddie and Estelle Gilliam; her sister, Donette Lisa Gilliam; her aunt, Vernell Johnson; and her uncle, Clem Gilliam. She leaves to cherish her memory: her loving parents, Eddie and Kathryn Gilliam of Pikesville, Md.; her devoted son, Alvin Kurt Bembury of Virginia Beach, Va.; her companion of over twenty years, Jeffrey Blinken of Kitty Hawk, N.C.; brother, Derrick Gilliam (Fawn) of York, Pa.; sister, Debbie Gilliam of Baltimore, Md.; grandson, Christian Kurt Bembury of Chesapeake, Va.; eleven aunts, Janice Byrd of Upper Marlboro, Md., Marguerita Ragsdale of Washington, D.C., Yvonne Nichols (Frank) of Spotsylvania, Va., Marion Ragsdale of Woodbury, Minn., Ursula Powell (James) of Glen Allen, Va., Kathleen Byer of Mt. Vernon, N.Y., Mary Whitaker of Pikesville, Md., Grace Beard of Glen Burnie, Md., Lucille Downs (Earnest) of Bronx, N.Y., Gloria Pride (Collis) of Petersburg, Va. and Doris Gilliam of Baltimore, Md.; uncle, Joseph Gilliam (Shirley) of Cambrin Heights, N.Y.; great-aunt, Queen Ragsdale of Chevy Chase, Md.; five nieces, Ciara Gilliam of Pittsburgh, Pa., Amber Reid of Pikesville, Maryland, Brandi and Carmen Gilliam of Hagerstown, Md. and Mya Gilliam of York, Pa.; a nephew, Derek Gilliam of York, Pa.; and a host of cousins, other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Linda D. Gilliam-Bembury

September 13, 1956 - April 26, 2014