~ IN MEMORY ~
Military veteran, DL Capt. John D. Lindstrom
July 30, 1934 ~ November 5, 2018
Word has reached us with the passing of Delta Golden Wings
member retired Delta pilot and Navy veteran Captain John Douglas Lindstrom, age
84. Captain Lindstrom joined Delta Air Lines 04-17-1961 and was based 030/LAX.
He is survived by his wife Jan, their children and grandchildren plus many other
dear friends and family members. Services for Captain Lindstrom are planned for
tomorrow November 15th in California....please see all available information
below.
Condolences may be shared online at at the funeral home
website:
Personal condolences may be sent to the family at
30301 Calle La Reina , Bonsall, CA 92003.
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary...............John D. Lindstrom
-----Celebration of Life: Nov. 15th at 11:00 AM, Emmanuel
Faith Community Church, Escondido CA
John Douglas Lindstrom, 84, was born a farmer, died a farmer,
and loved a lot in between. He passed away November 5, 2018 in a tractor
accident at home in his cherished avocado grove in Bonsall, CA. Born July 30,
1934 in Minneapolis, MN, the son of the late John and Sigrid (Johnson)
Lindstrom, he was raised on a dairy farm in Braham, MN where he enjoyed
twice-daily milking, 4H projects, skiing up-hill both ways to the one room
school house, and enduring the antics of his beloved older brother
Devore.
John received his BS in Agriculture in 1957 and his MS in
Agricultural Economics in 1961 from the University of Minnesota. A member of
Alpha Gamma Rho, he met the love of his life, Janice Ogren, at an undergraduate
fraternity social, but was slow to close the deal and instead took a three year
detour to get his wings in the Navy.
John and Jan met again and later married on August 27, 1960 in
Almelund, MN, beginning a life of adventures that brought them ever closer
together. Their first daughter, Jana, was born in Atlanta where they had moved
after John joined Delta Airlines. Jill and Jodie came later after they had moved
to Dundee, IL. They traveled the world, both as a couple and as a family.
Looking back on family photos, John’s biggest smiles came whenever he was out
supporting his daughters and grandchildren in whatever they did. He was
incredibly proud of them.
John’s faith in Christ was the center of his life, and
informed all his actions. It led him to an attitude of service in the church,
the community, and in our country.
During his 30 years in the United States Navy and Naval
Reserve, John amassed more than 10,000 hours of military flight time. First as
Commander then as Captain, John held multiple commands before retiring in 1986.
Under his leadership as Commanding Officer of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron
51 (VR-51), the squadron won the Noel Davis Trophy (Battle Efficiency
Award).
Starting in 1961, John spent 33 years flying for Delta Air
Lines. Starting out as a DC-3 Flight Engineer, CAPT Lindstrom Captained many
types of planes, finishing up on the MD-11. He served as Chief Pilot, Line Check
Airman, Lead Line Check Pilot, Air Line Pilots Association Local Executive
Council Chairman, and as base safety representative. By the time he retired,
CAPT Lindstrom had flown 25,000 hours of flight time and was regarded as a
“Pilot’s Chief Pilot.”
John was an avid and passionate skier, both downhill and
cross-country. He was a certified downhill skiing instructor and founded the
Delta Air Lines Ski Club. He participated in numerous cross-country races both
around the country and around the world and was the U.S. cross-country
representative for the Federation of International Skiing. He also officiated
the cross-country ski events at the 1980 Lake Placid and 2002 Salt Lake
Olympics, and was on the board of directors
for the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame &
Museum.
All this time, John still harbored a dream to return to the
land. In 1989, that dream became reality. The couple moved to Bonsall, CA and
John transformed six acres of barren land into a lush avocado grove trusted by
University of California researchers to try out new varietals. Always seeking to
go deeper, he served on the boards of Index Fresh, the Avocado Society, the Hass
Avocado Board, and the California Avocado Commission. He also regularly attended
the World Avocado Congress and in 2008 received the avocado industry’s most
prestigious award, the California Avocado Society Award of Honor.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Janice, daughters Jana
(Russ) Allen of Coronado, CA, Jill Lindstrom of Bethesda, MD, Jodie (David)
Frerichs of Los Altos, CA, brother Devore (Janet) of Cambridge, MN, seven
grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and many special nieces and nephews. He was
preceded in death by his parents.
Celebration of life service to be held at Emmanuel Faith
Community Church, 639 E 17th Ave, Escondido, CA, Thursday, November 15, 2018,
11:00 with a reception following at the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the John
Lindstrom SPAN Scholarship Fund, Minnesota SPAN Association, 774 Social Science
Bldg. - U of M West Bank, Campus delivery code: 7173, 267 - 19th Avenue South,
Minneapolis, MN 55455.
----------------------------------
PCN;
I just received a phone call from one of John Lindstrom’s daughters. She wanted
to make sure the pilot group was aware of John’s death; I forwarded Leo Bezdek’s
email to her and told her I was pretty sure that Delta PCN was informed. To
insure the notice is distributed I am forwarding it to PCN also.
Keep up the good work PCN. Ken Thomas
