Loren Lindholm

Loren H. Lindholm, age 83, former resident of Ortonville, died May 5, 2018, at the Weiss Hospital in Chicago, IL.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 14, 2018, at 1:00 p.m., at First United Methodist Church in Ortonville with the Rev. Melanie Reiners presiding. Interment will be at Swedish Mission Cemetery.

Loren Harold Lindholm was born on November 23, 1934, in Ortonville, MN, just minutes apart from his twin sister, Lorraine. He was the son of David and Helen (Johnson) Lindholm.

Loren and his siblings grew up on the Lindholm farm north of Ortonville. He loved to tell stories about his life on the farm, and the work he did there, including driving the tractor at age seven and herding cattle with his favorite horse, Scouter.

On December 27, 1955, Loren married Rita (Gerhardt), his childhood sweetheart, and they embarked on a loving marriage that lasted over fifty-five years. Much of Rita and Loren’s life together centered on the family and friends they loved so much; and on their deep, abiding Christian faith. Loren demonstrated, through his actions, his love of family and friends by firing up the barbecue for countless meals, loading up the boat for fishing trips, teaching his two daughters and grandchildren to ride horses, making sure family vacations were both fun and educational, encouraging and supporting his loved ones’ interests, and making sure holidays were spent with extended family. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his grandchildren.

Loren loved to sing! He especially loved to sing with family and friends–whether it was singing hymns and Gospel songs around the piano at home, belting out anthems with his choir buddies in the tenor section, or singing with the family on car trips.

Education was an important part of Loren’s life, and the young boy, who later happily told tales of his antics in the rural one-room schoolhouse, went on to graduate from Ortonville High School in 1952, and earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Taylor University, a bachelor’s degree in agricultural from the University of Minnesota, and a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota. He also studied for a year at Asbury Theological Seminary to prepare for what he hoped would be a life on the mission field.

After proudly serving in the U.S. Army, Loren found his calling in life as a special education teacher for children who faced emotional and behavioral challenges. Throughout his life, he worked at various schools in Colorado and the Midwest, including high schools in Coon Rapids and Blaine, MN. He loved his students, and the lives he positively affected through his compassion, intelligence, good humor, and commitment are an important part of his legacy.

Loren was a good man, a man of integrity with a mischievous sense of humor, who believed in God’s love and grace. He was generous and kind. He taught his children to empathize with others, to look for–and find–the good in every person. And he did that best by modeling it himself. He was deeply loved and will be deeply missed.

Survivors include his daughters: Jeannette Lindholm (Christine Draper) of Beverly, MA; Kari Lindholm-Johnson (Timothy Johnson) of Chicago, IL; grandchildren: Gabriel Johnson of Chicago, IL; Chloe Johnson of Chicago, IL; siblings: Lorraine (Glenn) Ryberg of Rochester, MN; and John Lindholm of Omaha, NE; and many nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death were his parents; wife, Rita; siblings: Paul Lindholm and Stanley Lindholm; and sister-in-law, Ruth Lindholm.

Memorial donations in Loren’s name for kids’ scholarships may be made to

Kids College, a program of

Covenant Youth Collision

4159 N Monticello Ave

Chicago IL 60618

www.covenantyouthcollision.org

www.kidscollege.info

Donations may be made to:
Kids College
4159 N. Monticello Ave, Chicago IL 60618
Tel: 1-773-245-6319
Web: http://www.kidscollege.info

Mundwiler Funeral Home – Milbank