Linda Doll Lee

Linda Marie Doll Lee, revered as a pillar of strength, courage, and bravery, departed this world on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at Natchitoches Regional Medical Center surrounded by her family.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, Nov. 22, at 11 a.m., at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, with the Rev. Irion St. Romain officiating and the Very Rev. Michael Craig Scott, VG, a lifetime friend and member of Linda’s high school graduating class, concelebrating. Interment will follow at Memory Lawn Cemetery, all under the direction of Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home of Natchitoches.

Her family will receive friends on Thursday, Nov. 21, at the funeral home from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a Rosary service at 7:30 p.m.

Mrs. Lee’s legacy as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and educator is one of unyielding kindness and generosity. She was the second daughter of Julia Lee Etheridge and Eugene Mathis Doll, and she celebrated life with her sisters, Donna and Gloria, and her brother, Dennis.

Her soulmate, Edd, entered her life when Mrs. Lee returned to Natchitoches in 1987 after a year serving as a financial advisor for Edward D. Jones. They married in the Basilica on Feb. 2, 1991, and together they made their home in Natchitoches and welcomed two children: Lindsay Adele and Robert Warner. Over the next 33 years, their fur babies, Nutmeg, Ethel, and Tater, completed their home, until their first granddaughter, Adele, arrived in 2021. Their world was never the same after that.

A 1983 honor graduate of St. Mary’s High School, she earned the Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Northwestern State University in 1986, and the Master of Education degree in early childhood education in 1990, both from Northwestern State University.

She began her teaching career in Red River Parish, and for the next 36 years she taught kindergarten, special education preschool, and served as an early interventionist in the Natchitoches Parish School District until she retired in May 2024. 

Mrs. Lee was a lifelong member of the Basilica and was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America, a sustaining member of the Service League of Natchitoches, and a member of The Natchitoches Historic Foundation. She also was a member of the Chicken Foot Girls card group.

She leaves her husband, Edd Robert Lee; her children, Lindsay Adele Lee, Robert Warner Lee and his wife, Catherine, all of Shreveport; her granddaughter, Adele Marie Lee of Shreveport; her sister, Gloria Anne Doll of Dallas; her brother, Dennis Eugene Doll of Natchitoches; her brothers- and sisters-in-law, Jean Marie Lee McElwee, James Kittridge Lee, Jr. and his wife, Mary, all of Natchitoches, Christopher Knipmeyer Lee and his wife, Sherri of Baton Rouge, and Charles Ellis Lee of Natchitoches.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and her sister, Donna Earlene Doll. 

Those honored to serve as Pallbearers will be her nephews, Jonah Marshall Brewer-Doll, Jonathan Lee McElwee, and Jonathan Christopher Hanson, her brother, Dennis; and Dr. Steven Giles Horton and Micheal Vincent-Shelton Leone.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites those who want to remember Linda to consider a memorial to the Restoration Fund at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (145 Church Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457), or the Heart of Louisiana Humane Society (PO Box 1057, Winnfield, LA 71483).

Mrs. Lee’s family is forever grateful to Dr. Mary Long, Dr. Manish Dhawan, and the Louisiana Extended Care Hospital staff (4th Floor) for the many hours of love and attention they shared.

Linda fought the good fight. She finished her race, and she kept the faith. We as her family and friends are assured by our faith that the Lord, the righteous judge, gave her the crown of righteousness when she entered the gates of Heaven.