Following the death of her husband Thomas, Rachel Lynde resided at Green Gables with her life long friend Marilla Cuthbert. When Marilla's relative Mary keith died, Marilla adopted her children, Davy and Dora Keith, who proved to be quite a handful.
Rachel was at odds with Davy's trouble causing behavior and almost left Green Gables for good. When a nagging tooth was removed, Rachel returned and much to Marilla's surprise, insisted that Davy and Dora remain at Green Gables (2.4: Of Corsets, Secrets and True True Love).
When Marilla died of heart failure, Rachel was devastated. To make matters worse, Green Gables was sold to her sworn enemy, Mr. Harrison. Mr. Harrison's fondness for Davy Keith, or perhaps his loneliness, caused him to come to terms with Rachel and allow her to stay at Green Gables (3.13: Old Friends, Old Wounds) .
Rachel found it increasingly difficult to deal with Davy Keith's mischievous behavior. While witnessing Davy playing on a roof, Rachel suffered a stroke. Upon hearing the news of her condition, Rachel's son, Robert Lynde, arrived to take her to Saskatoon with him while she recuperated (6.5: The Trouble With Davy).
When she was able to return to Avonlea, she suffered another stroke, which left her with a speech impediment. She was taken to a hospital in Nova Scotia, but when she was unable to identify herself, she fled the hospital and found her way back to Rose Cottage.
Rachel became frustrated when the town began to treat her like an invalid. She found comfort when Pierre LaPierre arrived with flowers for a social call. When her sons, Billy and Robert heard about their mother's whereabouts and that her condition had grown worse, they attempted to take her from Avonlea.
Rachel refused, struggling against a speech impediment to claim that Avonlea was her home (6.10: Home is Where the Heart is). Rachel and the Keith siblings continued to reside at Rose Cottage with Hetty King.
In December 1914, Rachel Lynde assisted Hetty in an attempt to recruit a famous performer and former student, Wilfred Aimsley, for the Avonlea Christmas Musicale. After Hetty suffered a back injury, Ainsley visited her in the hospital and agreed to perform at the Christmas concert.