John Warren Lindberg

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; his daughter, Karen Herington and her husband David; his son, Kurt Lindberg; five granddaughters Sharon, Jennifer, Kathy, Marie, & Carriann, and four great-grandchildren: Samuel, Maxwell, Rosemary and Kylie. There are also cousins on both sides of his family who he enjoyed spending time with over the years. John was gregarious, jovial, and beloved by many.

Born in Whittier, CA on April 6, 1926, John enjoyed playing football and helping with his Dad’s business mining a special mud used to lubricate oil rigs. When he came of age, he joined the Navy to help the war effort repairing radar equipment while stationed at Treasure Island. After the war ended, he was stationed in the Philippines for a short time.

John’s curious, mathematical mind brought him to Pomona College to study electrical engineering on the GI bill. While there, a pretty young woman in his calculus class caught his eye. After a whirlwind romance, in June 1950, John married Carolyn the day after her graduation from Scripps College, and the wedding was featured in Life Magazine!

John and Carolyn began their next chapter in Colorado where John studied Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines. When his research became too expensive to carry on, John left his studies to speculate for Standard Oil. The couple moved to Cuba when Carolyn was five months pregnant with their first child, Karen, born in January 1957. John always spoke fondly of their days in Cuba, even though it was only a short part of his 92 years. He loved speaking Spanish, although he could never quite shake his American accent.

The family returned to California when Karen was 3 months old and John continued studying for his Master's degree while working. They were delighted to welcome their second child, Kurt in April 1958. After John completing his degree, he spent the rest of his career as a Navy contractor, living in Fullerton, Ca, then China Lake, the only naval base in a desert, and finally, moving the family to Reston Va, in the DC area in 1967, where they stayed for many years while John worked on missile guidance systems for the government.

John retired in Reston in a contemporary house that Carolyn designed on Lake Audubon. He spent many hours playing tennis and sailing in his 30’ sailboat. He took a particularly memorable trip down the Intracoastal Waterway, at times sailing by himself but also at times with his father-in-law or his good friend, Joe. Later, John and Carolyn lived in Florida for a few years to be near Carolyn’s parents, taking their adorable granddaughters swimming every day and to Disney World and teaching them about math and geology when they visited. They eventually moved back to California--John’s true home--where he biked and was president of the bike club, played tennis and bridge, and talked philosophy with friends in their community.  Throughout their retirement, John and Carolyn enjoyed traveling around the US and Canada in their motorhome, as well as traveling extensively throughout Europe, Australia and China. He also used his retirement to stay in touch with his children, their families, his cousins, and old friends. Frequent visits with all of them was an important part of his life.

John loved to tell jokes and brought life into every party. He could debate politics, talk sports, quote poetry, and describe the inner workings of most machines. He could tell the geological history of every mountain and rock he saw. And though his knowledge was vast, he always thirsted for more.

As a husband, John was ahead of his time, seeking equality and mutual respect in his marriage. As a father, John was tender and engaged, taking his family camping, teaching them to sail and keeping them active in the outdoors. He was a great father who ensured that he did things to stay involved with his children and he would always be part of their lives. As a grandfather, Poppop was interested and loving. He invited his grandchildren to explore the things he loved and inquired with curiosity about their lives and interests. Whenever possible, he loved exploring the beauty of the United States especially America’s National Parks with his wife and family, often touring in his motor home well into his 80’s.

John’s life was well-lived and dedicated to enriching the lives of his friends and family. A private celebration of life was held for his five granddaughters and the immediate family on Saturday, February 9th at 3pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in John’s memory to the National Park of your choice or the National Park Foundation.  (https://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/donate.htm).