Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend passed into the arms of our Heavenly Father on Sunday, May 7.

 

Howard was an electrical engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 30 years. He and Helen spent 24 years of their retirement traveling the 48 states of America in their motor home and exploring every county in England and Scotland, with many trips to the European continent and to visit cousins in Norway. Most memorable was last year’s trip to France with his youngest grandson to see the battlefields of World War I and World War II.

 

Howard’s childhood years in Gunnison, CO were some of his happiest as he and best friend Ron Wilson exercised their imagination in play, both in summer and the icy cold of winter. The family moved to Oregon where he attended Estacada High School.

 

At graduation, he worked in a woolen mill until he enlisted in the United States Air Force.

 

After basic training at Parks AFB, he was sent to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi, for electronics training. As a Radar Mechanic for Airborne Equipment, he was sent to Wheelus AFB, Tripoli, Libya where, as a new Christian, he made lifetime friends at Wheelus Chapel Fellowship.

 

While at his last duty station, Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, he met and married Betty Jennings Lindberg. Working 20 hours a week, he achieved his goal of a degree in electrical engineering and graduated with honors. In 1962 he began his career at Los Alamos National Laboratory. During those years, they were blessed with the births of Chris, Lisa, and Annie. Also, he was involved with the Boy Scout program, running the rapids on the Rio Grande river, and hiking and backpacking many trails in the Rocky Mountains. That marriage ended in 1975, and Howard married Helen Barnes and added Amy and Craig to his family. 

 

Howard’s passion in his retirement years was helping others. With friends from his church, he built houses in Mexico and repaired the homes of elderly residents in Tucson.

 

Together, he and Helen sponsored 5 children through Compassion International, one of whom they met on a Compassion trip to Peru in 2014. Recently, he chose to be grandfather to an immigrant family from Rwanda.

 

Howard Philip Lindberg was born on May 20, 1934, in his maternal grandmother’s home near Palatine, Illinois, to Lillian K. and Eugene Lindberg, first generation Americans, now deceased. Son Craig William preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife and life partner, Helen; his sister, Jan Landers of Keizer, OR; his son, Chris Jon (Kim) of Castro Valley, CA; his daughters, Lisa Carolyn Lindberg (Gene) of Los Alamos, NM; and Annie Lindberg of Santa Fe, NM; daughter Amy (John) of Carrolton, TX; his daughter-by-choice, Mary Timmers of Los Alamos, NM; grandchildren, Sarah-Ann Keyes (Brenden) of Houston, TX; Christopher Pike of Portland, OR; Katrina Sweetland of Tullahoma, TN; Madeleine Hall and Patrick Hall of Carrollton, TX; and Rebecca Marshall of Castro

Valley, CA.

 

Howard’s life will be celebrated at a memorial service on his birthday, Saturday, May 20, at 3:30 p.m., in the sanctuary of Northminster Presbyterian Church, Tucson, Arizona, reception to follow. Those who wish may contribute in his memory to his favorite charity, Compassion International, 12290 Voyager Parkway, Colorado Springs Co 80997-0001 or a charity of their choice. Arrangements by National Cremation Society.