Help PJ Give Linda Callen the Loving Farewell She Deserves

When someone we love passes away, we long to honor their life with dignity, love, and remembrance. Linda Callen — a devoted mother of three — wished to be laid to rest alongside her family at Miller-Woodlawn Cemetery. Sadly, her passing came without financial preparation, leaving her children struggling to fulfill that final wish.

Linda, lovingly known as Grandma Callen, spent her life working multiple jobs to keep a roof over her children's heads and food on the table. She poured her heart into raising Michael, Charlotte, and Michelle, always putting her family first. Though rich in love, she lived a life of financial hardship, and she passed with no savings or life insurance — leaving the cost of her funeral entirely on her children.

All three of Linda’s children are over 50 and live with physical and mental disabilities. They survive on very limited fixed incomes and simply cannot afford the expenses involved. That’s where PJ, Michael’s wife, has stepped in — but at a steep personal cost to her own well-being.

PJ is in her 60s and recently retired to stay home with Michael to care for him so he won’t have to go into a nursing home. Yet out of love and commitment to her family, she has taken on the full burden of organizing and paying for Linda’s Celebration of Life. She is now working two jobs — one at Subway, the other through Lyft — just to try and make ends meet. This is not sustainable. It’s taking a serious toll on her physical and mental health, and she is putting her well-being at risk every single day trying to carry this alone.

PJ has always been someone who gives everything she has to others — never asking for help, even when she needs it. She is currently helping family members through unemployment, supporting her son with a newborn baby (born May 16th) both financially and physically, and assists others in her church community, often sacrificing her own comfort and goes without to do so. She is overwhelmed, and even though she won't ask for help, she needs it now more than ever.

With help from the kind and patient funeral director, Robert at Miller-Woodlawn Funeral Home, PJ has worked to keep the funeral costs as low as possible. But even with discounts and careful planning, the total — including travel to Washington and interment at Miller-Woodlawn Cemetery — is expected to be around $12,000.

That $12,000 means debt and interest for years, which PJ simply cannot afford. If she continues at this pace, she is risking her health, her future, and her ability to support the rest of her family. She should not have to go through this alone.

If you are able, please consider donating to help cover the funeral costs and give Linda Callen the farewell she deserves — one filled with dignity, love, and respect. And if you’re unable to give, sharing this campaign is also a powerful way to help. Every share brings us closer to easing this burden.

Let’s come together to support someone who has always supported others. Help PJ honor Linda’s memory — and help her protect her own health and stability in the process.

Thank you for your kindness, and God bless.

A Note From Me (Justin):

My name is Justin, and I’m PJ’s oldest son. I’m setting up this GoFundMe on her behalf because I see the pain, stress, and health toll this has taken on her — and I want to do something to help. I’m in a tough financial spot myself, but I can at least try to rally others to support her the way she supports so many of us.

PJ will be the direct beneficiary of this fundraiser, and every dollar will go toward covering the costs of Linda Callen’s funeral and easing the load my mother is carrying. Even just sharing this with others would mean so much to us.

Let’s help give Linda the sendoff she deserves — and help PJ get through this without sacrificing her own well-being.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for anything you’re able to give or share.