Courtney Dolaine Lindell passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 1, 2019, at the age of 85. Court was born July 7, 1933 near Vermillion, South Dakota, the third child of Charles Walter Lindell and Siri Constance Marie (Jonson) Lindell. He graduated from Bellingham High School in 1951 and joined the US Marine Corps shortly thereafter.
He served in the Korean War and came home to attend what is now Western Washington University in 1955. Courtney married LaVerne D. Stalberg on December 29, 1956, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bellingham. They had two sons and a daughter.
Court enrolled at the University of Washington in 1957 and the Lindells moved to Ballard. He graduated with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering in 1960 and took a job with C&H Sugar in Aiea, Hawaii. After five years living in paradise, the Lindells returned to Bellingham, where Court began working at the Georgia Pacific pulp mill.
He spent 30 years at GP, retiring from “the plant” in 1996. With time on his hands, Court did some consulting work, caught up on his reading, and became an active member of VFW Post 1585 in Bellingham. A throwback to the slide-rule era of engineers, Courtney could design, build, and sell his industrial applications for Lignosulfonate, a non-toxic binding agent.
Armed with his social skills and tons of ambition, Court traveled to every industrial center in America, solving problems in dust abatement, concrete admixtures, and coal handling. He brought home great road stories from “garden spots” like Stuttgart, AR; Watertown, NY; and Victorville, CA, just to name a few. In the ‘70s during the summer, his family often traveled with him on a “busman’s holiday” to the Tri Cities or the Oregon Coast.
In his life away from work, Courtney was a social animal, the life of the party, and a “man’s man”. His connection to the BHS Class of ’51 never wavered, and he enjoyed monthly meetings with fellow Raiders at Mykonos restaurant. Whether at home or the VFW, Court loved nothing more than the company of his family and friends, most of whom lived nearby and were with him to the end.
He rose up from humble beginnings, served his country, and lived the American Dream. Courtney’s grandson Miles may have said it best upon seeing him recently: “there goes a happy man”. Court was preceded in death by his parents and his brother LaVeryl (1996), and survived by his sister Yvonne Steinmetz, of Lincoln, CA; and brother DuWayne (Lola) of Ferndale.
He is survived by his wife, LaVerne; his son Lance (Kim); his daughter Leilani Fortune (John); and his son Loren, all of Bellingham. He is also survived by granddaughter Courtney Fortune of Los Angeles, CA; and grandson Miles Fortune of Seattle, WA. A Celebration of Life will be held at VFW Post 1585, 625 N. State St., Bellingham, 98225, on Sunday, January 20 from 2-5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Whatcom Hospice Foundation or VFW Post 1585.
Donations may be made to: Whatcom Hospice Foundation 3001 Squalicum Pkwy.
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