[NEohioPAL] Canal Fulton Players- In Memoriam Linda Nelson

[DVangaasbe at aol.com]

In Memoriam
 
Linda Nelson
 
Daisy Stanley- The Man Who Came to  Dinner (December 2005)
Helen- Born Yesterday (March 2007)
 
Behind the scenes and box office so  many times we lost track
 
 It is with a great deal of  sadness that we announce the death of our dear 
friend and fellow thespian, Linda  Nelson, who died on November 10, 2008, 
surrounded by her family and loved  ones.  Carol and I will always remember Linda’s 
radiant smile, infectious  laughter, and bubbling optimism as we think back 
to the days when this theatre  was experiencing its growing pains.  As she 
stated many times to us,  quoting her character from The Man Who Came to Dinner, “
Ernest, it isn’t that  bad.”
Linda came to the theatre on a whim.  She wanted information  concerning our 
children’s program for her granddaughter.  When we stated  that the children’
s program would develop probably towards the end of the fourth  season, she 
then shyly asked about adult parts.  She really did not know it  at the time but 
she fell into that wonderful trap called acting and  theatre.  Cast as Daisy 
Stanley, the harried but kind home owner in The Man  Who Came to Dinner, Linda 
brought a comic angle to her character.  Not  satisfied with giving just 
lines, she gave Daisy the necessary dimension that  endeared her to the audience, 
crew and cast.  
Linda was the glue  that held two casts that she was in together.  Many of 
the younger  actresses gravitated to her and it was not unusual to see Sarah 
Peters and Lisa  Van Gaasbeek constantly talking to her about their dreams and 
plans.  Her  support and love to these two actresses have spurred them on to 
bigger and  better things.  Today, Sarah is a student at the New York Film 
Institute  and Lisa is finishing her studies at Kent State University in the Theatre 
 Arts.  During one of my last visits with Linda, she stated how proud she  
was of both of them.
Linda will always be remembered for how she  handled adversity on stage.  
When Born Yesterday was postponed for one  week, she kept telling the cast and 
Megan Huber specifically that we can do  this.  The cast, concerned about Sandra 
Schmeltzer’s husband who had taken  ill right before Opening Night, rallied 
under Linda’s reassurance.   
In The Man Who Came to Dinner, Linda accidentally fell and severely  twisted 
her ankle on the fifth night.  Waking up the next morning, she  discovered 
that she had a very swollen ankle.  However, with Gary’s help,  she managed to 
wrap the ankle in such a manner that she was able to perform the  next night.  
No one knew what happened except the cast and crew as Linda  played Daisy with 
her normal bravura.
The cast and crew of The  Christmas Gifts which includes her grandson, Steve, 
have dedicated their six  performances in memory of Linda.  The entire 
Players, all one hundred of us  acting on stage and helping behind the scenes, 
extend our sympathy to Gary and  his family over this untimely death which has 
taken one of the most charming  people to ever grace the stage.  
Linda wanted so much to see  Steve in The Christmas Gifts and I assured her 
that she would right before she  died.  She just would have a better seat to 
see the  performances.
  Calling hours are on Thursday  from 4:00-7:00 pm at the Swigart Easterling 
Funeral Home, 624 East Cherry  Street, Canal Fulton, Ohio.  The funeral will 
on Friday at 11:00 am at the  United Methodist Church, 363 West Cherry Street, 
Canal Fulton.  
 
 
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