When you sit down at the lunch counter in Linda Lou’s Restaurant, you might notice a set of coordinates on a wall plaque. Follow the numbers, and they lead to a very specific seat at the counter – the spot where owner Linda Greenlee’s husband, Charlie Patterson, used to sit before he passed away from prostate cancer in 2023.
For Linda, cancer is not an abstract cause – it is deeply personal. In addition to losing Charlie, she lost her first husband, Leroy, to colorectal cancer. She has also fought and survived cancer herself three separate times. Through these experiences, Linda has come to understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll the disease takes on patients and their families. That understanding is what drives her commitment to helping others.
Linda has been the proud owner of Linda Lou’s Restaurant, a beloved family diner in the Franklin community, since 2009. She and Leroy purchased and opened the restaurant shortly after he was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Tragically, Leroy passed away before he was able to see their dream come to life.
In 2015, Linda Lou’s moved to its current location on Mercer Road, where it continues to thrive. During those years, Linda faced her own health challenges, battling breast, skin, and thyroid cancer. As of September 2026, she will be five years in remission.
Linda is now helping others confront cancer by giving to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Northwest through the Northwest Hospital Foundation.
“Giving back to the community is just part of our culture here,” Linda said. “Cancer is everywhere. We have lost many customers to it, and we continue to see more diagnoses. I will do anything I can to help people going through it because it’s close to my heart.”
She credits her staff and her care team for supporting her through treatment, particularly Dr. Shannon Penland and Dr. Michael Ward at UPMC Northwest.
“When I was in treatment, my staff were always there for me, and I was fortunate to receive wonderful care,” Linda said. “Now I want to pay it forward and make sure others in our community get that same support. I’m incredibly grateful to be here and to be able to help.”
