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Lester James Lindberg ’60

A picture of Jim Lindberg

Lester James Lindberg ’60, June 24, 2012, in McMinnville, Oregon, as a result of a traffic accident. Jim earned a BA from Reed in physics and did graduate work at the University of Maryland and at Portland State University. He enlisted in the army in the early ’60s and served for three years, including a year in Germany. During that time, he and Lucie M. Fischer began corresponding, which led to their marriage in 1965. Jim was an excellent electrician and a master at repairs, though unconventional (yet successful) in his approach. In 1972, the family, which by then included a daughter and son, moved to Valley Junction, Oregon, where Jim became co-owner, with his brother-in-law, of S&C Lumber; he operated the business for 25 years. Jim also built a home, raised farm animals, gardened, picked wild berries, hiked, hunted, swam, and mined for gold. He was a cook at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, Oregon, for nine years, and, at age 71, mastered a new career, handling finances for his daughter and son-in-law’s home medical equipment company. Jim was proud of his Swedish ancestry and made strong coffee (“mud”) in the same drip coffee pot for 47 years. He also had a great sense of humor and entertained others with his stories. He loved the challenge of complicated mathematics problems, ones that appeared “unsolvable,” and would work out the problems on a paper napkin while sitting at the kitchen table. He tutored his children and six grandchildren in mathematics and science, and taught a niece chemistry and physics via the telephone—all excelled in their academic endeavors. Jim’s sister, Suzanne, who provided the details for this memorial, wrote, “My brother was a marvelous individual, with emphasis on the individual. He was very proud of his Reed education, as was his whole family.” Jim’s wife, children, and grandchildren also survive him.

Appeared in Reed magazine: December 2012