Linda Sell Gurney

Gurney, Linda Sell (nee Seiferth), 66, of Webster Groves, MO, peacefully to be with her Lord on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Beloved wife of the late Edward William Gurney. Dear daughter of the late Edward and Mara (nee Salcedo) Seiferth. Loving mother of Olivia (Thomas) Fischer, Christopher (Chelsea) Sell and Andrew Gurney. Cherished grandmother of Adelaide and Connor Sell; Henry and Michael Fischer. Dear sister of Jane (Keith) Barrett, Angela (Matthew) Fleagle and the late Christian Seiferth. Dear sister-in-law, aunt, cousin and friend to many.

Linda was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from University City High School, Linda attended Washington University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in music performance. She began her career as a free-lance musician in 1974 and performed with numerous local groups including; the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Mighty Mississippi Concert Band, the Gateway Festival Orchestra and A Perfect Fit Woodwind Quintet. She could play an impressive variety of instruments, piano and clarinet being her specialties. As a pianist, she was known for her vast repertoire of memorized music, from which she could play anytime on demand. Her jazz talent shined each time she performed the famous clarinet solo from Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Some career highlights include performing for the Busch family and the Jack Buck Christmas radio show. One could occasionally spot her on the local news playing clarinet with The Jim Dandys group at Busch Stadium.

Linda taught piano and clarinet lessons to many students over the years and was very active in the music ministry at Central Presbyterian Church. She also generously volunteered her musical talents to benefit many areas of her community. Being a strong supporter of students and professional colleagues in the local music scene, she frequently used her love of photography to help document their performances.

Interests and abilities were varied and many, for Linda. Her love of sports included tennis, softball, pickleball and Cardinals baseball. She could often be found enjoying nature at the Missouri Botanical Garden or a classic movie at home. Her kitchen table was sometimes covered with jewelry-making supplies. She helped others through many organizations in her lifetime, some of which included; the Widow’s Ministry at Central Presbyterian Church, Mu Phi Epsilon (her music fraternity), and the volunteer program at the deGreeff Hospice House. She earned her Wood Badge during her involvement in Boy Scouts and a reputation for near-painless blood draws during her time as a doctor’s assistant at St. Luke’s Hospital. As a breast cancer survivor who lost her husband, Ed, to brain cancer, she was an enthusiastic supporter of efforts to find cancer cures.

Linda grew up in a bilingual, Cardinals baseball-loving family, and was proud of both her Hispanic heritage through her mother and her deep St. Louis roots through her St. Louis native father. Her family also helped foster her love of music at an early age. An appreciation for these traditions lives on through her children and grandchildren. She was an amazing mother and grandmother, always prioritizing family and teaching them how to love life and each other. Having put her faith in Jesus Christ as her Savior, Linda put Christ at the center of it all.

For those wishing to make a donation in memory of Linda, please consider the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Services: A visitation will be held on Friday, June 9th, from 3pm until 8pm in the Great Hall of Ambruster Chapel. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, June 10th, at 3pm at Central Presbyterian Church ( 7700 Davis Dr., Saint Louis, MO 63105).

The Family would like to invite you to share photos and memories of Linda here on her Memorial page. Please submit your photos to AmbrusterChapel@yahoo.com.

To view shared photos, please click on the following link: Photo album