Carl Henry Lindenbach

October 11, 1934 – October 5, 2026

“absent from the body... present with the Lord”

On the beautiful morning of October 5, in a room at the Campbell River Hospital overlooking his old fishing grounds, Carl slipped peacefully into eternity and the presence of Jesus, just one week short of his 92nd birthday. His journey on earth came to an end as he was being read to from his own book chronicling his canoe journey down the Assiniboine River, right past the place where his life's journey began.

Carl was born to Peter and Pauline Lindenbach in the family farmhouse near Tadmore, Saskatchewan on October 11, 1934, the second of two sons. Here his love of the outdoors and adventuring began alongside his brother Erwin. In 1945, the family moved to Chilliwack, British Columbia where Carl's interest in hunting, trapping, hiking, mountain climbing, fishing and boating continued to grow.

Early in his life, around a campfire at a Bible camp, Carl opened his heart to Jesus, received the gift of forgiveness of sins and spiritual new life, and began walking a path with Jesus that shaped the rest of his journey. His faith in God was both anchor and compass to his life, and is the reason we know that he is with his Saviour now, and that we will see him again.

Carl always loved to sing. As a small boy, his mother would stand him on a stool to sing to her guests. While in high school he won a vocal competition at a Fraser Valley music festival, earning voice lessons which launched a lifelong singing career that brought enjoyment and blessing to himself and many others. Carl was the youngest member of a male quartet at Chilliwack Alliance Church which sang live every Sunday morning on the radio program, Rays of Hope.

After completing grade 13 at Chilliwack High School in 1954, Carl began attending UBC. He married Marilynn Sheepwash in 1956 and they moved to Campbell River in 1957 to begin their teaching careers, with Carl teaching grade 5 at Elm School. What was meant to be a one-year stay became a lifetime as Carl put down roots in Campbell River.

One of Carl and Marilynn's first ties to the community was their involvement in the fledgling Campbell River Baptist Church, where their support was key. They both remained actively involved in the ministry of the church for over 50 years, forging many treasured and lifelong friendships there.

In 1960, Carl and his father built a house on McCarthy Street. Marion was born in 1963, Graham in 1965, and David in 1967.

Early in his career, Carl taught junior high math and physics at Campbell River High School, where students remember the inevitable jokes he loved to tell. His jokes would elicit groans, but only because they were always clean and actually funny. He later taught grades 4-6 at several elementary schools, including Campbellton, Willow Point, and Cedar Elementary, where students remember the outdoor education lessons, hikes, and camping trips which instilled in many an early appreciation of nature.

Living on the ocean, Carl soon developed a love of boating and fishing, sharing adventures with family and friends on his boat “Sea Otter,” which grew by two feet every few years. As well, he spent 18-20 summers as a sport fishing guide.

Mountains had an irresistible draw for Carl – “You climb it,” he claimed, “because its there.” Many mountains in the area became his “friends” in this way. Exploration happened summer and winter, whether hiking, backpacking, canoeing, skiing (downhill or cross country), snowshoeing, or eventually dirt bike riding and snowmobiling.

Access to remote locations rekindled Carl's desire to build cabins. He and his sons built four wilderness cabins, fulfilling a dream for Carl. Weekend retreats to the cabin became the best way to get his report cards written.

After 30 years of teaching, Carl took early retirement in 1989 and purchased a portable Wood Mizer band saw. He did custom milling at Windsor Mill Sales for 14 years, a job he greatly enjoyed because, as he liked to say, “the only tension is in the blade.” He continued sawing until age 84, sold his last snowmobile about that time, and marked his 80th birthday by climbing Mount Albert Edward solo, and his 90th birthday by a day trip by quad and canoe to his first cabin.

Along with cabin building, Carl realized another lifelong dream in 2003 when, at age 59, he completed a 21-day solo canoe trip from his birthplace near the source of the Assiniboine River in Saskatchewan to its confluence with the Red River in Winnipeg. The stories of accomplishing both of these dreams are recounted in two

booklets he self-published.

Carl was a committed husband, loving father and grandfather, and faithful friend. He had a generous heart and showed his care through acts of service. He had many a story to tell of tough scrapes he got into on his epic adventures. He loved his family, and was so grateful for them and proud of them all. He prioritized time with his children and grandchildren, instilling in them his love of the outdoors, and also of singing together. Carl enjoyed singing with Campbell River Singers and the church choir and was a frequent soloist at church. He will be remembered for singing “O Holy Night” annually at the Christmas Eve service, and for the star shining high above the fir trees each Christmas at his waterfront home on South Island Highway, where, to his great satisfaction, he was able to live out his last days.

Carl is now reunited with his father, mother and brother who preceded him to heaven.

He is lovingly missed and remembered by his wife of 70 years, Marilynn; daughter Marion (Murray); sons Graham (Robyn) and David (Ingrid); grandchildren Annastasia, Talise (Thomas), Luke (Tamara), Marita, Naomi (Marc), Jeffrey (Caroline); and great grandchildren Nora, Kepler, Abel, and Joanna, with one more on the way.

A memorial service to celebrate Carl's life will be held on Saturday, November 7 at 1 pm at the Campbell River Baptist Church, 260 South Dogwood Street. All are warmly invited.

The service will be live streamed and the link is available on facebook, or from the family.