Linda Belle Bartley Sprague died Tuesday March 16, 2021 at Midland Hospice in Topeka, Kansas. Linda Belle was born June 3, 1932 in Powhattan, Brown County, Kansas. She was the daughter of Earl Franklin Bartley and Alice G. Wilson Bartley and sister of Garrett Wilson Bartley. She was related to most of Powhattan and much of Brown County. As a youngster, she took piano and voice lessons and also played trombone at Powhattan High School. Her soprano singing was a constant through her adulthood. She sang at weddings, funerals, at Powhattan Methodist Church, and as a member of the First United Methodist Church choir in Topeka. She graduated from Powhattan High School in 1950. Linda went to KU as a member of Miller Scholarship Hall.

On her 19th birthday, she married Carroll G. Sprague. From 1951 to 1963, they lived outside of Powhattan and had four children, Mark, Chris, Lance and Carol Lynn. In 1963, they moved to Topeka. Linda & Carroll needed a large house with at least four bedrooms. After looking at several areas of town, Linda found Potwin and would go no further. She lived in Potwin for almost 58 years. After the birth of her last child, Bart, Linda finished her bachelor’s degree at Washburn University. She taught at Clay Elementary and then decided to pursue her Master’s of Library Science at Emporia State University. Linda loved being a librarian. She began at Grant and Rice Elementary Schools and would spend the rest of her career at Maude Bishop Elementary School in Topeka. After retirement, she volunteered at the Kansas State Historical Library, The Topeka Public Library and the First United Methodist Children’s Library. Linda enjoyed watching sports, particularly the Jayhawks. Her trained singing voice was also useful for cheering and yelling at the television. Her children can attest to the fact that she could be heard above everyone else at their sporting events.

She was preceded in death by her son Chris (1973) and her husband Carroll (2003). She is survived by her sons, Mark Sprague and his wife Mickey Hanna of Perry, Kansas, Lance Sprague and his wife Mary Nelson of Santa Cruz, California, Bart Sprague of Topeka, Kansas, and her daughter, Carol Sprague and her husband Chuck Wilson of Topeka. Linda Belle enjoyed life and loved her family. She was here at a good time and had a good time while she was here.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 11:30 am at the Powhattan Cemetery. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be sent to Brown County Genealogical Society, 116 S. 7th Street, Hiawatha, KS 66434-2307, or Topeka Shawnee County Public Library - Children’s Section, 1515 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66604.

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