Obituary: Theodore Lindgren, 96, of Springfield

Theodore (Ted) Fritz Lindgren, 96, of Springfield, passed away on Jan. 24, 2020 at Springfield Health and Rehab, with his wife of 77 years, Florence, and other family members by his side.  He was born on Dec. 9, 1923 in New York City son of Fritz and Alice (Sundgren) Lindgren.

As a child, Mr. Lindgren moved to Springfield and, in 1942, graduated from Springfield High School.  On June 20 of that year, he married Florence Morrison.  He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the European theater during World War II.

Mr. Lindgren was a member of the Robert L. Johnson Post #771 VFW and served as both State and Post Commander.  He also served on the Springfield Select Board.

Mr. Lindgren owned a dairy farm and later was employed as a U.S. Postal carrier. Children anxiously would wait for the mail to arrive because Ted would give them candy when he delivered the mail. He became a very popular mailman!

After retiring from the USPS, he served as a representative in the Vermont state legislature for 12 years and was later appointed to the Vermont Department of Corrections Parole Board, which he served on for 10 years.

He was a longtime member of Calvary Baptist Church, where he was a deacon and trustee.

His family was the center of his life and he particularly enjoyed celebrating holidays with them. Florence and Ted Lindgren hosted Thanksgiving for many years and would often have more than 50 family members and friends celebrating with them.

Mr. Lindgren is survived by his loving, devoted wife Florence and seven children: Jack Lindgren of Jupiter, Fla.; Linda Fletcher of Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Karin Greenawalt and her husband Wayne of Aurora, Ill.; Lance Lindgren and his wife Betty of South Newfane; Jeff Lindgren and his wife Kathleen of Johnson; Ted Lindgren and his wife Marge of Renfrew, Penn.;  and Jennifer Anderson and her husband Kevin of Springfield.

Mr. Lindgren is also survive by three sisters: Roberta Griswold of Pennsylvania; Dorothy Grover of Sumter, S.C.; and Donna White of Danvers, Mass. He is also survived by 16 grandchildren: Gary; Todd; Shelley; Chrissy; Robbie; Tara; Melissa; Chad; Oscar; Brooke; Tara; Teddy; Jake; Jess; Annalisa and Erika, as well as 33 great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the staff at Springfield Health and Rehab, Bayada Team and Dr. Mark Hamilton for all their love and caring of “Teddy.”

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at the Calvary Baptist Church, 156 Main St. in Springfield. Burial with military honors will follow in Oakland Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made in his honor to the VFW Post 771 or Calvary Baptist Church.

Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield is assisting with arrangements.