LINDSAY, Robert John 1930-2013

LINDSAY, BARBOUR, PIRIE

Posted By: COUNTY COORDINATOR
Date: 9/1/2013 at 00:17:20

Robert John (Bob) Lindsay

Nora Springs, Iowa - “The bases are loaded and the pressure’s on. The ball’s on the two-yard line and it’s the Hawkeyes last chance at a bowl berth. It’s a six-foot putt and he really needs to sink it for a place in history. Only 30 seconds and the Vikings will be in the playoffs.”

It was sports that many believe Bob lived for. He was the consummate sports fan. Whether it was professional, collegiate, high school or junior high, Bob was a fan. But it had to be an Iowa team (and in a very limited circumstance, Minnesota, as in the Vikings and Twins) or specifically North Iowa and especially Nora Springs games, and Bob knew who won or lost.

But if you thought sports were what Bob was about, you’d be wrong. As much as Bob loved sports, he loved his family even more. That was what defined who he was. And you can speak to any of his children, grandchildren or even great-grandchildren, and they’ll tell you about how close and supportive he was to each and every one of them. Bob never said no to his family.

Robert Lindsay “Bob” died on August 30, 2013, at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester of complications from surgery. He was 83 years old.

A celebration of Bob’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 3, 2013, at the United Methodist Church in Nora Springs with Pastor Wendy Johanasen and Pastor Jerry Avise-Rouse officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date in the Park Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Monday with a Masonic Service at 6 p.m. at the Sheckler Colonial Chapel, 114 North Hawkeye, Nora Springs. Visitation will also be held one hour prior to service time on Tuesday at the church.

The family of Bob’s would like to suggest that those wishing to give a memorial in his memory may wish to consider memorial contributions be made to the Robert J. Lindsay Memorial Fund.

Bob Lindsay was born in Mason City, Iowa, on March 16, 1930. He was the only child of Prescott and Dorothy Barbour Lindsay.

Bob attended Portland No. 4 Country School through seventh grade and then graduated from Nora Springs High School in 1947. He married Wilma Pirie in Mason City on July 8, 1951. They celebrated their 62nd anniversary this year.

Although Bob was a dairy and grain farmer in the prime of his career, he also served on the Portland Elevator Board, the Nora Springs School Board, the North Iowa Fair Board and was a 4-H leader for the Portland Blue Ribbon Feeders. He also was a member of Kiwanis Club, the Masonic Lodge, served on numerous committees for Nora Springs Methodist Church, and spent his last years as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Omnitel Communications. He was employed by NAU Country Insurance as a Claims Manager, a job he truly loved, working with people he felt were extended family.

He is survived by his wife, Wilma, son Brian (Deb) Lindsay, daughter Brenda (William Nelson) Lindsay, daughter-in-law Cindy Lindsay, grandchildren Eric Lindsay, Erin (Jason) Crum, Sunni (Jim) Lensing, Nathan (Katie) Lindsay, Jill (Jess) Berman, Emily Garner and Erin Garner, and 13 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his youngest child, Phil, and daughter-in-law Carly Lindsay. To those who have lost a son or daughter, the loss is devastating. When the loss is your youngest and he shares all your interests and thoughts, the loss is doubly difficult. Bob persevered and channeled the grief into love for the rest of his family.

Bob will be missed by not only his family, but also by all of the many friends he accumulated through the years. It was said that there were few places in North America where Bob couldn’t find someone he could call a friend, and a true friend at that.

Arrangements by Sheckler Colonial Chapel, 641-749-2210, www.colonialchapels.com

Source: Mason City Globe Gazette, Sept. 1, 2013