Obituary of Jane Irvin Lindberg

Jane Irvin Lindberg, nee Banzhaf, passed away on June 7th, 2021, at the age of 98, in St. Paul, MN. Jane was born in Williamsport, PA, on May 23, 1923, to Hazel Dean Banzhaf and Harry A Banzhaf. She resided in Muncy, PA. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother William (Bill), sisters Barbra (Barbie) and Martha (Martie), husband Edward (Mahlon), and son Eric. Jane is survived by her sons and their wives William (Bill) and Barbara, Edward (Andy) and Kelley; grandson Eric (Orion); many nieces and nephews. Jane graduated at 17 as valedictorian of her class of 58 students in 1940 in Muncy, PA. As it was the height of the Great Depression, her dream of college was not possible and she began working at SproutWaldron in Muncy. At the encouragement of her brother, she took and passed the civil service exam, which resulted in a job (Aug 1942) at the US Army Corps of Engineers Ordnance Plant (White Deer Valley) in the Priorities & Surplus Materials Division. In June 1943, at an employee meeting, the commanding officer of the Pennsylvania Ordnance Works, Lt. Col K.D. Nichols, asked for volunteers interested in working on a new Top-Secret Project, which turned out to be the Manhattan Project. He explained that the first work location would be in Manhattan, NY, and then would move to Hanford, WA, or Oak Ridge, TN. Jane raised her hand and said Manhattan/Oak Ridge. So, at the age of 20 she moved to New York City. She first worked for Major Robert Miller as a Clerk/Steno. In September 1943 she moved to Oak Ridge, TN to the Clinton Engineering works and continued working for Major Miller. As work began winding down after VE Day in May of 1945, Jane was reassigned to the Redistribution and Salvage Division as secretary for Col. Gilbert M. Dorland. In September 1946 Col. Dorland was assigned to Sandia Base, NM, to take command of what would become the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, and he asked Jane to continue as his secretary, so she agreed and moved to New Mexico. Jane met Edward Lindberg at Sandia Base where he was working for the University of California as an electronics technician based on his WWII wartime experience as a Chief Electronics Technician (deactivated Dec 1945). They were married on Feb 7, 1947. They moved to St Paul, MN, where Ed enrolled at the University of Minnesota in January 1948 and graduated in August 1951. During this period Jane worked at Northwest Airlines on University Ave. In September1951 Ed accepted employment with the General Electric Co (Aircraft Gas Turbine Div) in Ohio. By the end of September 1951 he had been recalled to active service in the Korean War and ordered to go to Norfolk, VA. They lived in Norfolk until he was deactivated in December 1952. They moved back to Minnesota where Ed joined the Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Co in January 1953. Ed and Jane lived in California, Missouri, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Hanau, West Germany as Honeywell moved Ed to where they needed him. Jane was mother and homemaker until the boys were old enough to fend for themselves and then she went back to work putting in stints at the Minnesota Lightning and Transients Research Institute and the University of Minnesota International Center. She was on the City of Lauderdale council and even served as acting mayor. After Ed retired, they wanted to downsize. As an employee of the U of M she was eligible to move into the U of M retirement community at 1666 Coffman. They were members of the founding group of residents and they enjoyed the comradery of that community. Jane, Ed, and the boys had great times at the lake cabin in Wisconsin and enjoyed camping around Butte, MT. Jane and Ed travelled to Australia to visit U of M friends and some of Ed’s WWII buddies. They also enjoyed traveling to their son’s various residences (Utah, Texas, and the Netherlands). A memorial will be held in the Fall of ’21. If you wish in lieu of flowers, a donation in her memory may be made to the Episcopal Homes Foundation. For information see https://episcopalhomes.org/foundation/.