Bonnie
Jean (Medley) Lindgren, passed away peacefully with her family at her
side, Tuesday morning December 15, 2020, in McKinleyville.
Bonnie
was born in Wellston, Ohio on March 24, 1928, to parents Belva and
General Medley. She was 92 years old at the time of her passing.
As
a girl growing up in Ohio, Bonnie and her two sisters experienced a
rich family history with deep roots. One story she used to tell was
of the time she went to a picnic for Civil War Veterans as a young
child. She recalled the Veterans there were just young teens when
they fought in the war. She told how she and her sisters wore white
dresses with pretty ribbons in their hair to celebrate the special
occasion.
Bonnie
lost her mother as a young adult, and shortly afterward her family
moved to Trinidad. It wasn’t long before she met and
fell in love with Axel Lindgren II. The two were married in 1949 and
honeymooned in San Francisco where the photo included here was taken.
Axel once said they “owned all the sunshine in the sky” when
recalling their honeymoon many years later. Bonnie’s family’s
culture and Axel’s traditional Yurok culture blended so seamlessly
as both were about family, history and knowing where you come from.
As
the saying goes, behind every great man is a great woman, and that
was surely true in the case of Bonnie and Axel. They worked together
in business as well as in community service, all while raising six
children together.
Bonnie
was running a hamburger stand in Trinidad while Axel was logging. The
hamburger stand was located near where the freeway is now, across
from the gas station. For a time, they also took crab over to Hoopa,
where they spent lots of time visiting, and also sold some crab. In
1970 they went to work in the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall, where
they would go on to advocated for change of the treatment of Indian
children and wrote new policy addressing issues they saw. After
working for the county for several years and Axel having to advocate
more and more for the protection of the Tsurai Village, they were
looking for something with a little less stress. Bonnie and “Axe”,
as she so fondly called him, ended up purchasing a janitorial service
where they worked together for many years. After Axel’s passing in
1999, Bonnie kept on until her own retirement.
While
raising kids and running businesses, they also found time to serve
their community. Bonnie was briefly a member of the Trinidad Civic
Club long ago, and was deeply disappointed how they have treated
Axel, and his family. However, she really enjoyed all the years she
volunteered to cook and serve people in the annual Crab Feed in
Trinidad, that would later become the annual Fish Festival. While
Axel was the one who officially held many of the various positions,
Bonnie was right beside him making sure everything ran smoothly, he
had what he needed, and everyone stayed fed. Whether it was when he
was advocating for the preservation and protection of the Tsurai
Village, coaching little league for 20 some odd years or serving on
one of the many community organization boards, Bonnie was never far
away.
Bonnie
made sure all her children’s friends felt welcomed and knew they
always had a seat at the dinner table. Many of them would later say
she was like a second Mom to them. Bonnie and Axel were known to take
in youth from time to time, and even had a foreign exchange student
as a host family for the program in the ‘70s.
Bonnie
loved spending time with both her sisters, but Sally and Bonnie
stayed especially close after Axel’s passing, attending Tai Chi
classes and shopping together. Bonnie, Sally and Sally’s husband
Fred would drive over to visit their sister Virginia who resided in
Anderson, Calif., whenever they could. She really loved those trips. When
at home, she loved to read books and popular fiction was a favorite.
She had a gift for knitting hats, scarfs and recycling socks to use
for braiding rugs.
Bonnie
was
predeceased by her parents Belva and General Medley; husband Axel
Lindgren II; sisters Virginia Hughes, and Sally Vanni;
brothers-in-law Hank Hughes; William Lindgren; Glen Lindgren and
Charles Lindgren. Sisters-in-law Louisa (Lindgren) Little; Francis
(Lindgren) Meickle; Stella (Lindgren) Fredericksen; Georgia
(Lindgren) Fullwider; Dixie (Lindgren) Benedict. Nephew Greg Hughes.
Daughters-in-law Peggy Lindgren and Anna Lindgren.
Bonnie
is survived by her children, Axel Lindgren III; Paris Lindgren
(Cindy); Kris Lindgren; Lindy Lindgren (Lynn); Kelly Lindgren
(Ralph); Connie Lindgren (Mike). She is also survived by her
brother-in-law Fred Vanni; sisters-in-law Roberta Lindgren; Wilda
Gallacci and grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great
grandchild, cousins, nieces, nephews, and many relatives too numerous
to mention but still special to Bonnie.
Services
to be held at a later date.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Bonnie Lindgren’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.