Mary Lindaman

Mary Bernice Cavett Lindaman, 96, died Oct. 24, 2021 at Floyd County Memorial Hospital in Charles City, Iowa. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church. A social hour will be held afterwards with light refreshments. Inurnment will be at a later date.

Mary was born in Quincy, IL on June 26, 1925 to Dr. J.W. and Myrtle (Price) Cavett. She attended school in Iowa City and Minneapolis, before graduating from Charles City High School in 1943. She attended the University of Iowa for two years with the intention of obtaining a degree in Chemistry, an unusual and ambitious choice for a young woman at that time. Life, love and war intervened, however, and in 1946 she married her high school sweetheart Richard Lindaman and they left the Midwest for his life in the Army Air Forces in Enid, OK, Denver, CO, and Sacramento, CA. After Richard was discharged they returned to Charles City to help run Lindemere Dairy and the family farm. Raised as a ‘city girl’, this probably wasn’t Mary’s first choice, and she did her best over the next several decades to keep herself off a tractor. In between children she did secretarial work for the Charles City Superintendent of Schools and attorney and brother-in-law Boyd Hayes, and then spent over 31 years at Oliver/White Farm in payroll, manufacturing, and the foundry.

While juggling family and work life, she tried out acting at The Loft, and played major roles in two plays: “Never Too Late” and “Don’t Drink the Water”. In her desire to finish her college education, she took night classes at Upper Iowa University to get a business degree. She came up just a few classes short, but enjoyed the chance to stretch her brain. She was also involved in numerous organizations and activities in the community, including AAUW, DAR, Eastern Star, various committees at the First Baptist Church, and taking drawing, painting, and sculpting classes. When asked when she would retire from White Farm, she joked that she’d probably be there until the plant closed, which was what happened in 1993 when she was 68.

Still determined not to drive a tractor, she kept herself busy in her forced retirement by volunteering at the Treasure Chest (where she had first dibs on the goods), delivering Meals on Wheels with Richard (many times to people younger than them), swimming at the YMCA, and exploring antique stores and estate sales wherever she travelled. The door was always open at Richard and Mary’s farm, where they hosted numerous afternoon happy hours on the back porch, New Year’s Day brunches, and decades of family holiday meals. We have many fond memories of picnics at Wildwood and Waverly Hill, and summer weeks at Clear Lake with family friends.

Although everyone who met Mary in her later years always described her as ‘so sweet’, her family would beg to differ and would add: sharp, no nonsense, creative, self-reliant, independent, and unflappable. Mary suffered no fools: your problem did not become her problem, and she was not afraid to voice her opinion. Not happy when Richard stayed out ‘socializing’ late one night, she came home without him, nailed his pajamas to the front door, and locked it. This still allowed Richard to enter from the unlocked back door, but he got the not-so-subtle message. When the kitchen flooring needed replacing, Mary ripped it out herself at the age of 85. She reupholstered two complicated chairs all on her own, way before the advent of YouTube ‘how to’ videos. She once humored Richard’s sense of humor and created a pair of full size ‘His and Hers’ outhouses for a Halloween costume party, where they won first prize. And when Richard told her he had a little accident with a train while driving the windrower across the RR tracks, the first question she asked was not ‘Are you ok’, but ‘Is it covered by insurance?’

Mary was always up for an outing of any kind; welcomed any visitors, could stir up potato salad for 75 people without a recipe, and could set and empty mouse traps without flinching. Her weaknesses were sweets, shoes, antique clocks, and bargains. She enjoyed her evening glass of wine, especially when anyone joined her.

Mary is survived by her children David (Linda) Lindaman of Charles City, Douglas Lindaman of Charles City, and Patricia (David Kebler) Lindaman of Prairie City, OR; her grandchildren Brian (Amy) Lindaman of Sioux Falls, SD, Ben (Julie) Lindaman of Loretto, MN, and Kate (Ryan) Steele of Chandler, AZ; great-grandchildren Claire, Emma, Maddie, Grant, and Evie; local niece and nephews John Hayes, Jim Lindaman, Steve (Becky) Lindaman, and Viva (Bruce) Boerschel; and many more across Iowa and the U.S.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Richard, infant son Thomas, parents Dr. J.W. and Myrtle Cavett, brothers William and Robert, and sons-in-law John Neeling and Brandon James.

The family extends their gratitude to the staff at Apple Valley Assisted Living, Floyd County Memorial Hospital, and Dr. Royer for their care of Mary. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be made to Comprehensive Systems, Inc, the Charles City YMCA, or the Floyd County Museum.

As one of the last of her circle of friends in this life, we envision Richard and life-long friends Frank Kish, the Semelhacks, the Gerlachs, and the Lockies, all with drinks in their hands at the end of the dock, waiting for Mary to join them.

Fullerton-Hage Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 401 Blunt, Charles City, Iowa 50616 641-228-4211. www.Fullertonfh.com, Facebook/Fullertonfuneralhomes.