Linda Gaye Baker Alewine

Linda Gaye Baker Alewine was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Aug. 15, 1947, to Nina and Hoyett Baker. She was 11 minutes younger than her twin brother Dub (whom she says she "pushed out and kept on going") and was the third of four daughters to the faithful, Baptist-church-going couple. 
She was a studious, blond-haired, bright-blue-eyed beauty who graduated from Petrolia High School in 1965. Not long after, she married a military man, Robert Elmo Alewine – a short, dark-haired man with plenty of confident swagger that quickly captured her heart. Bob's careers in the Air Force then IBM took them from Wichita Falls to Fort Worth to Baton Rouge to Abilene, Hamby, and Clyde, Texas, where they ultimately settled. 
Along the way, at 20 years old and full of excitement, Gaye gave birth to baby Alicia on Sept. 19, 1967. Alicia was a match to Gaye's beauty, with a sweet personality, and she didn't cry like her brother Keith would when he was born two years later on Christmas day. 
Caring for this family of Alewine’s became her mission and her love, from keeping their home beautiful and carting kids to Camp Fire Girls or 4H or Little League to sewing homemade clothes and making crafts to creating custom birthday cakes in the shapes of puppies or guitars. 
When the kids were out of the house, she had many adventures of her own, from volunteering for the West Texas Rehabilitation Center, to hobnobbing with country music royalty (all of them in the '90s, from Wynonna to Willie) to get autographs and sound bites for local radio stations, to joining her sister Peggy in traveling the country to see the sights. 
Gaye had walked away from her faith early in life, but she came back around to life with Jesus in the past 20 years, getting involved in serving and giving through the ministries of 3 Crosses Cowboy Church and then First Baptist Church in Clyde. 
This caring and generous giver was known to church friends and family for somehow being kind and funny while still having a bit of an edge – she could give you that look, and often did right up until her last day. But no one doubted that she loved Jesus and loved them. She died in the early morning January 13 with Keith at her side at AVIR at Abilene, where she fought doggedly against the effects of COPD and lung cancer.
Gaye was preceded in death by her parents Nina and Hoyett Baker of Iowa Park, Texas, husband Robert Elmo Alewine and daughter Alicia Ann Marble Alewine of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Peggy Standlee of Burkburnett, Texas. She is survived by her son Keith Allen Alewine (Rachelle) and grandkids Luke, Andrew and Gabriella of Durango, Colorado, and her brother R.W. Baker (Donna) of Charlie and sisters Gail Mataska of Wichita Falls and Penny (Jerry) Hayes of Iowa Park.
A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday, January 16, at Clyde First Baptist Church, 216 Austin Street.