News On 6 Remembers Longtime Employee, Linda Mason Jones

Television stations have something called traffic departments, they keep track of commercials and all the other things you see in between the programs.

Since November 1968, KOTV's traffic department had Linda Mason working in it.

She became the top traffic cop, if you will, but more than keeping track of decades-worth of TV commercials, she arrested our hearts.

She was a caring mother hen, an opinionated, funny friend, a tell-it-like-it-is sidekick to so many who have come to work here.

She knew our children by name and asked after them, took care of many of them when we needed a hand.

And yet no one was more precious to her heart than her own son, Rob, whom she sent through college by working two jobs.

A few years back, she reunited with her high school sweetheart, Rocky Jones, on "Face-Space," as she called it, and an enchanted and love-filled time in her life began anew.

It didn't last long enough. Linda Mason Jones died Monday, eight weeks after a diagnosis of inoperable cancer.

KOTV is a lesser place, and our hearts -- the hearts Linda held for 47 years -- are with her family.