Linda Joanne Kakos, 77, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in Dallas, TX.

Linda was born on February 7, 1949, in Midland, Texas, to Bates and Mildred Witt. She grew up in Lubbock, Texas, where she attended Monterey High School and served as editor of the school yearbook, an early sign of the care and leadership she would bring to everything she touched. Known affectionately to her friends and family as Yaya, she moved in the late 1970s to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which would remain home, off and on, for the rest of her life.

Linda spent more than 30 years building a prominent executive career as a leader in hospitality for Hyatt and Frito-Lay, along with various hotels and organizations across the industry. But above any professional accomplishment, Linda's greatest passion was her family and friends. She would drop anything to be there for the people she loved, a generosity of spirit that everyone who knew her would call her true superpower.

Linda is survived by her husband of 38 years, George Kakos; her sons, Shane McMillan (wife Tracy) and Blane McMillan (wife Beth Goff-McMillan); stepson Steve Kakos (Anna Kakos) and her six grandchildren, Ethan and Annabelle Goff, Reid and Wesley McMillan, and James and Jude Kakos.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Bates Witt and Mildred Moore.

Linda will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing and loving her.