Linda Jean Porter "Fair Dove" Hancock
December 16, 1941 – February 27, 2025

Believe me, you've never met anyone quite like Linda Jean Porter "Fair Dove" Hancock. LJPFDH was loved and adored by many. Those who met her instantly felt her positive, sweet, and caring spirit. She was a fun-loving person, and a pure joy to be around. Although she'd faced some difficult times in her past, she never carried it with her. She always remained positive, beaming with smiles and laughter.

Linda started her adventure in this latest life on December 16, 1941. I say, "latest life," because if you knew Linda, you know she had lived many lives before this one. So, 1941 — why does that year sound so familiar? Well, that was the year Pearl Harbor was surprise-attacked by Japanese war planes, just nine days before Linda was born. Oooh, little Linda was so mad. It was certainly a stressful time for the country and the Porter family. Back at home, Linda's sisters — Charlotte, Doris, and Myrna — were waiting for their parents, Alice Fife Porter and E. Merle Porter, to bring home their sweet, screaming baby sister. Then three more siblings eventually came along: Sandy, Suzie, and little Stan. They became a family of six girls and one boy. Fast forward 18 years when Linda married E. Maynard "Bud" Hancock then went on to have their own family of five boys and one girl, featuring Mike, Jim, Brian, Spencer, Adam, and Angie. And of course, Rags — the family's sweet dog who looked like a pile of rags.

For a large portion of her life, Linda worked hard to help put food on the table while raising a family of rambunctious boys (and a rambunctious husband). She waited tables, she cleaned houses, and with an entrepreneurial spirit, she self-employed as a cholesterol tester. She fittingly named her business "Change of Heart." Once the kids were mostly grown and she was free from a very challenging marriage, Linda adventured on. She was drawn to the Native American culture where she met her next husband-to-be: Sundance (not the film festival; Sundance was an actual man person of Apache heritage.) His birth-given name was Leo Clark.

Sundance guided Linda across the American landscape to meet many strangers who soon became friends, and whom Linda undoubtedly left an impression upon. She learned a good bit of the Native American language and absorbed much of the history. She joined drum circles, pow-wows, and sweat lodges. She communed with Native American spirits and journeyed to times long passed. She used her powers of healing and words of hope to lift many spirits along the way. Linda cared about the people she met. On these journeys, her Native American friends honored her with a new name: "Fair Dove." She was also gifted traditional Native American clothing and a drum, both of which she cherished. She would often dress in her ceremonial attire, drum a steady, rhythmic beat, and sing in the Apache language. It was always a magical event to witness.

Few knew this about Linda, but during her travels she would pick up hitchhikers who needed a ride and someone to hear their stories. Linda "knew" which hitchhikers were safe, and which ones to avoid. It seemed she did, as she safely delivered many individuals closer to their destinations, no doubt filled with "Linda wisdom" to help carry them through the rest of their journey.

In 2014, Linda was diagnosed with stage-four bladder cancer (if you don't know, stage four is the worst one). Being a survivor of diabetes and a couple tough marriages, this was just another battle Linda was determined to fight. Her oncologist said that without chemotherapy or radiation treatments, she would only live for another six months to a year. Linda did not want to go through the process of chemotherapy or radiation. She had known people who had gone through the process with successful outcomes and not-successful outcomes. With quiet certainty, she said, 'That path isn't for me.' She would take on the cancer in her own way.

Spoiler: Linda outlived the diagnosis by about 11 years. In fact, she was 100% clear of cancer in 2019. How did she do it? Through Native American healing, love, and a whole lot of Linda positivity. She always said to "never give into fear," and she lived that mantra throughout her life. Every day, she took a variety of vitamins and drank a "healing tea" called Essiac tea which was developed by the Ojibwa, a Native American tribe in Canada. (I guess they'd be called Native Canadians). And every morning, Linda would lay down to meditate and mentally focus on the cancer cells inside her body. She would bombard the cells with "love" and tell them that they were no longer needed in her body — and she sent them away. Linda was a healer. She healed many people. So, it made sense that she was able to heal herself. I realize this whole "self-healing" of cancer may seem hard to believe, but there is documentation and witnesses to her diagnosis, prognosis, and recovery. Linda fought cancer WITHOUT traditional medicine and won. She was able to spend an additional 11 years in this existence to experience many more joys in life, meet many new friends, and meet two new grandkids whom she otherwise would never have known. Now that she has passed, Linda will continue to watch over her family, including her loving grandkids: Tiera, Devin, Morgan, Jayden, Taryn, Zoe, Lilly, Nico, and little Maya; as well as her great grandkids Haven, Brooklyn, and Emmett.

Throughout her life, Linda often talked about the past lives she had lived and was curious about the next ones she had yet to experience. As she journeys into her next physical existence, we take comfort knowing that she is around us every day. A fan of animals and nature, Linda was particularly fond of horses, butterflies, and eagles. So, the next time you encounter any of these beautiful creatures, wave, say hello, and think of Linda.  Linda passed (peacefully and painlessly) Thursday, February 27th, 2025, at 9:35pm due to heart failure. We know it was only her physical heart that stopped working, as many do. But her spiritual heart will never fail. It will be with us always and forever and even past that. We love you so much, Mom! We hope you're having an exciting adventure running with horses or flying with the eagles!

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