Linda Jean (Conley) James

Linda James nee Conley age 76 of Malvern, AR born October 26, 1949 in East St Louis, IL went to be with God on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, passing at her home. She was preceded in death by her brother and sister who died in infancy Donald Eugene Conley and Judy Kay Conley and her parents Eugene W. Doc Conley and Cora Gladys (Glady) Elizabeth Conley.

Linda was a country girl at heart, spending a lot of her childhood outdoors with her cousins in Southern Illinois. She graduated from Belleville Township High School in Illinois in 1967, became wife to her childhood sweetheart David Peters in 1969, and they had three children who survive her, Michael (Lora) Peters of St. Louis MO, Laura (Eric) Ingram of Atlanta GA, and Nathan (Meagan Colbeck) Peters of St. Louis MO. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Daniel Peters, Rachel Ingram, and Arlo Colbeck-Peters, and many cousins.

Linda earned her Associate’s degree in Business from Southwestern Illinois University and her Bachelors of Arts in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She enjoyed a variety of careers. In Linda’s early career she worked as a clerk typist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in St. Louis, MO and NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. Later she was a kindergarten and first grade teacher, and a daycare director. She later took courses at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Midwest Baptist Theological Seminary, ultimately earning a Master of Arts in Christian Education from NOBTS in 1998. She then became ordained as a Southern Baptist Chaplain and began working as a hospice chaplain at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis. She also became a licensed massage therapist in 2001.

Linda married John James of Malvern AR in 2002 and became an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and she worked as a pastor in the Christian Church. She also started a coffee shop in Arkansas with John, who survives her. Linda served in many other ministry capacities, including children’s puppet ministry, youth group ministry, Sunday school teacher, nursing home ministry, and foreign missions. Given her Choctaw and Cherokee ancestry, she enjoyed participating in indigenous gatherings and ministries. She served as an Elder in the indigenous ministries of Manataka (Hot Springs, AR), MidAmerica Indian Fellowship (Joplin, MO), and Center for Indigenous Ministries (Washington state). She was a member of First Christian Church of Hot Springs AR.

Memorials may be made to American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, or indigenous ministries.

Visitation: Friends may call from 1:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, June 27th at Mill Creek Baptist Church Mill Creek, IL. Funeral: Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, June 27th at Mill Creek Baptist Church in Mill Creek, IL. Interment will be in St. John Cemetery Anna IL. immediately following.

Arrangements by Arkansas Cremation, 10515 W Markham St, Suite B1, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205. If you would like to leave a message of condolence to the family, you may do so using the Guestbook section.

www.arkansascremation.com