Linda S (Zechman) Searles

A memorial video will be added to this obituary for Lynne in the coming days. Please check back later.

Linda Sue "Lynne" Searles, 70, of Phillipsburg, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and homemaker, went to be with her Lord and Savior on October 25, 2025. She was born on November 21, 1954, to the late William H. and Verna A. (Karcher) Zechman.

A 1973 graduate of Warren County Technical School, Washington, NJ, Lynne studied data entry on IBM keypunch machines.

On May 10, 2025, Lynne celebrated fifty wonderful years of marriage with the love of her life, Eugene "Gene" Searles. During those fifty years, she and Gene welcomed three beautiful daughters, two granddaughters, and one grandson, all of whom she loved, cherished, and supported unconditionally.

Lynne loved worshipping Jesus, and did so at South Ridge Community Church in Clinton, NJ, where she volunteered her time in many ways, including drama ministry, youth group and vacation bible school. A huge fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Mets, you could always find Lynne cheering on (and occasionally yelling at) her teams every game. Lynne enjoyed playing bingo every Saturday night at the Harmony Township Volunteer Fire Company, where she made many friends, including the staff and volunteers. Lynne thoroughly enjoyed and cherished the time she spent with family on trips to Wildwood, NJ and watching the grandkids playing in the waves.

In addition to her loving husband Gene, Lynne is remembered and missed by her daughters, Brandi and her husband Andrew, Melissa and her fiancé Donald, and Karen; her granddaughters Bethanie, affectionately known as "Honey Girl", and Hannah; her grandson, Jayden, whom she called her "Grandbuddy", and two brothers, William Jr. and Robert Zechman. She will also be remembered by the many friends she made throughout her life. In line to welcome Lynne in heaven were her parents, William and Verna, a brother, Jamie, and her grandparents, Frank and Sarah Zechman, and Henry and Blanche (Rustay) Karcher.

There will be no viewing or funeral services, however, a celebration of Lynne's life will be held at a later date, where family and friends can gather to honor her memory.

As a family, we thank everyone for their outpouring of love, prayers, and support as we navigate through this difficult time.

For anyone wishing to offer an expression of sympathy, the family requests no flowers but encourages donations in Lynne's memory to support the South Ridge Community Church, 7 Pittstown Road, Clinton NJ, 08809.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.