Story from The Herald, Rock Hill, January 21, 2005

Linda Birley, 58, had removed a grate above the vent to vacuum inside the area. She was on the floor cleaning the area when she slipped too far inside the space and got stuck, said York County Coroner Doug McKown.

"We certainly don't see deaths like this every day," McKown said. "It fits into the freak accident category. It's similar to some of the very rare deaths we see, such as the man who fell into the septic tank."

Birley was babysitting for two neighborhood children at the time. Tommy Owen, 9, was doing his homework when he heard Birley yell for help. He tried to pull her out but couldn't move her. Tommy ran next door to get help from a neighbor, who was also unable to pull Birley out. She died before emergency responders reached the home.

Thursday afternoon, family members, friends and neighbors shared memories of Linda Birley, a former nanny and avid gardener who loved a good laugh.

Her husband of 35 years, Dave, said his Mormon faith gave him a positive attitude. The evening after he came home from work to find his wife dead, Dave Birley, 70, went to sing at an Opera Carolina rehearsal -- a simple choice for people of faith, he said.

"You can sit at home and stare at the four walls and mope and have a pity party, or you can get on with your life," he said. "I was surrounded by 100 of my closest friends doing something I love. It's good therapy."

Though he said staying strong might not be as simple with the couple's five children in town for Linda's memorial service Saturday morning.

"I asked them not to come," Dave said. He paused. "I think I know I'll fall apart as soon as they get here."

Devout Mormon

A devout Mormon herself, Linda Birley believed in home storage of food, such as canning.

"This was her pride and joy," Dave said.

Inside a converted bedroom closet, Linda had canned and stocked hundreds of mason jars of vegetables and meats, from stewed tomatoes to okra to chicken stock and even figs grown from a backyard tree.

She gave her canned foods away -- next-door neighbors Phyllis and Rabbit Williams pointed to a jar of homemade salsa Linda had brought around.

'Enjoyed living'

They said Linda was a jolly woman who loved life.

"She just enjoyed living," said Phyllis Williams. Williams' grandchildren would play in the back yard with the two boys Linda babysat.

"One time they had this little pool out there, and she fell over in it with her clothes on," Phyllis said. "She just sat there and laughed, laughed like she meant to do it."

Tommy and 4-year-old Aaron remember their beloved babysitter well.

"We go out to eat, she takes us to get ice cream, we do puzzles," Tommy said. "We laugh at Aaron cause he does something funny."

Aaron giggled and said he liked his babysitter, whom he called "Yinda."

"Sometimes she took us to church or Ryan's or O'Charley's," Tommy said. "She would take us out to a pond or a creek."

Linda's son Robin arrived in Rock Hill on Thursday afternoon, visibly emotional at the memory of his mother, whom he described as kind and giving.

"She always took in our friends who were having problems," Robin said. "Anyone could stay, as long as they called their parents and let them know they were safe."

At one point, he counted at least 43 unofficial foster children, Dave said.

"One time, we were waiting for the bus downtown and five or six cars drove by and they said, 'Hi, Mom, hi, Mom, hi, Mom,' out the window," Robin remembered.

She gave and gave and gave, he said.

"I remember one Thanksgiving our neighbors asked if they could have a chicken because they couldn't afford to buy one," Robin said. "She packed up our Thanksgiving dinner and sent it over to them, and we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Thanksgiving."

"That was the best story that could really describe her life," Robin said.

Rebecca Sulock 329-4072