Obituary of George Wilson Lindberg

George Wilson Lindberg was born on July 22, 1926, to George Isadore and Clara Matilda Lindberg of Duluth, MN. He had 3 siblings, Doris, Dean, and his twin, Clarann. George graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1944, and was drafted soon after, during WW II. Always a lover of adventure, he joined the Navy, thinking it would be the most enjoyable branch of service. He was trained to read morse code, and became a Radioman 2nd Class, stationed in the Philippines at the end of the war. Once home, he completed his associate degree at UMD. During this time, he was involved in the campus ministry, as well as the young adults at his church, First Presbyterian. It was here that he met and fell in love with Carol Amundson. They were married on June 26, 1951, surrounded by family and friends and freshly picked peonies. Shortly after their marriage, George was drafted once again to serve in the Korean war. This time, he was stationed on Bainbridge Island, where he and Carol lived in base housing for one year. He was responsible for receiving and delivering the coded messages coming through the Bremerton Naval station.

Once discharged, the couple moved to Minneapolis, and eventually built a home in Plymouth, where they raised six children. George completed his degree in Aerospace Engineering at the U of M. After graduation, he was hired at Honeywell, where he worked for most of his career in aeronautics engineering. Through the years, George became such an expert at building gyroscopes, he was often hired as a trouble-shooter for NASA and affiliated companies to correct flaws in their gyros and design new parts for rockets. These assignments meant yearly travel to FL, TX, GA, and MA later in his career. Through the years, he worked his way up to Senior Production Engineer at Honeywell, but turned down promotions that would require him to be away from home for extended lengths of time. His family was always his top priority.

George was a man of adventure, with many interests. He took his family camping every other weekend during the summers, and on long vacations to National Parks and places beyond every year. He taught the kids to waterski in summer and snow ski in winter. He bought a cabin on Boy Lake, where they enjoyed fishing, boating, and the great outdoors. He was an avid reader, he loved photography, and music. He played the clarinet regularly, and listened to records daily. He could often be found woodworking and puttering in his shop or garage. He loved to discuss politics and religion, and kept current on world events. In his retirement, he mastered bread making and cookie baking. George loved the Lord, and was actively involved in every church he attended, including First Presbyterian, Grace Community, New Hope Free, and Fourth Baptist. He and Carol often gave of their time and talents in short-term missions through the SOWERS ministry. When Carol became ill with a rare condition, he was her advocate and caretaker for 12 years, administering nightly IV treatments and monitoring her health. They were married for 61 years when she passed away in 2012.

After Carol died, it was clear that George had a lot of living yet to do. He remained active, joining a men’s bible study group, and continuing his involvement in Kings Folk at New Hope Free Church. It was at an event with this group that he first met Anita Manthey. She sent pumpkin bars home with him, and he was hooked. They were married on May 31, 2014. They had so many interests in common, and continued to travel to Utah, Alaska, Panama, Hawaii, and just this past fall, to Nova Scotia. They also served on various projects with SOWERS. Their relationship made his later years truly golden.

In October 2022, George’s health began to decline. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and kidney failure. This diagnosis did not stop him, but he was finally forced to slow down. George went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at North Memorial Hospital. He was 97 years young. He died of congestive heart failure and acute kidney failure. George lived a full life, and touched so many in the process. He will be dearly missed by his family, his friends, and all who knew him.

George is survived by his wife, Anita Lindberg, children: Dan (and Jan) Lindberg, (daughter-in-law) Linda Lindberg, Judy (and Daniel) Gilbertson, Shari Honeycutt, and Heidi (and Tim) Bergeland, grandchildren:

Sonya (and Dave), Steven (and Ellen), Heidi (and Justin), Heather (and Aaron), Kristy, Megan, Jessica (and Ryan), Darrel (and Natalie), David (and Holly), Janna (and Mario), Braden, Grace, Olivia, and Hope (and Ben), and great grandchildren: McKenna, Gavin, Kayla, Zachary, Joshua, Carsyn, Cameryn, Elliot, Arayah, Miles, Hannah, and Ronen, step children: Rob (and Wendy) Manthey, and Joy (and Tracy) Fick, as well as several step grandchildren and great grandchildren. George was preceded in death by his wife, Carol Lindberg, children: David and Bruce Lindberg, and son-in-law Shane Honeycutt, as well as all three of his siblings.