Lina was born in Nicosia, Cyprus, first child of Toula and Bob Shoobridge.

Aged 5, she moved to England with her younger brother Michael and their parents, where she was schooled at St. Barnabas School for Girls, Woodford then at Loughton College, where she earned her Stenography diploma.  She could type more than 150 words per minute!

Aged 18, Lina moved to Maryland, USA with her family for a three-year British Embassy tour from 1975 to 1978.  During the Queen’s 1977 Silver Jubilee, at the Embassy Lina and her family all met Her Majesty the Queen!

After the rest of the family returned to the UK, Lina stayed on in Washington DC.  She had a successful and happy career spanning 28 years with the World Bank and then the International Monetary Fund. Lina loved travelling and was lucky enough that her work took her to Eastern bloc countries such as Albania, Poland, Romania and beyond. During her career, Lina made many wonderful life-long friends.

Lina loved to perform on stage for the British Embassy Players from 1979 onwards, appearing in dramas such as ‘Billy Liar’ and starring in the pantomime ‘Mother Goose’.  She was happiest singing and performing in ‘Old Time Music Hall’, including  the  30^th anniversary show in 1994.

Lina was the most devoted mother to Elana and George, she loved to cheer them on at soccer, football and volleyball. She was as proud as a Mother could be and made the most of the special times they had together. Particularly proud moments included the children featuring in the local newspaper - George meeting a real life astronaut and having moon dust sprinkled on his head and Elana being recognized for her compassion in delivering homemade cards to elderly people’s homes.

Lina was known for her passion for soccer – especially when Arsenal was playing.  When younger, her dad took Lina and her brother Michael to watch them play at Highbury whenever he could. While living in the US she would never miss their games on tv.

Another passion was Rod Stewart – since first seeing him in concert at The Rainbow in Edmonton in ‘74, when Lina was just 17. She was such a big fan she even went three nights in a row to watch him live.

Lina loved to record her life experiences and feelings in verse; family and friends have all received birthday or Christmas cards with a poem or thought written straight from her heart.

Lina was a bright light amongst her family and her incredible group of friends; she had a wonderful zest for life and was always full of laughter and fun. She was the most caring and thoughtful daughter, sister and auntie. A joy to be around and a beautiful person too. Lina’s effervescent character, her love of life and her sunny disposition were renowned: she was truly a breath of fresh air.

Lina’s endless courage and spirit inspired everyone she met, especially during her battle against cancer.  During these moments of adversity, her beloved constant and gentle companion Monty, was always at her side.

Lina gained great strength from her diverse group of friends who all came together as Team Lina as soon as she was diagnosed. The unconditional love and selflessness that they showed in supporting Lina, is a testament to how Lina touched their lives and to her family, is a legacy to her memory.

Life without Lina will always leave a void but our wonderful memories of her will always remain in our hearts and minds forever. We all believe she has now moved on to her next adventure with all the energy, love and passion she had in this life!

Survived by Elana and George; Toula and Bob, Michael and Elaine, Angela and Stuart, Emma, Louise and Robert.

A celebration of Lina’s life will take place at 11am on Saturday 9 October 2010, at the Woman’s Club of Arlington, 700 South Buchanan Street, Arlington 22204. All welcome.

In lieu of flowers, donations welcome at www.cholangiocarcinoma.org, www.cholangiocarcinoma or Capital Hospice, Arlington.

We, her family and friends, have begun to organize a series of fundraisers to assist Lina at this time.  Tax deductible donations can be accepted online through “Friends of Lina” a charitable program established under Congressional District Programs, a 501(c)(3) public charity.