The services for William Charles Lindholm are scheduled as visitation Friday June 5, 2020 at Harry J Will Funeral Home, 37000 Six Mile Rd in Livonia from 3-8pm. A private family funeral service will be held on Saturday June 6, 2020 at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.
William was born in Ogden, Iowa, on March 20, 1932, to Lester Leander Lindholm and Elizabeth Winegar. He graduated from Ogden High School in 1950. He was making his mark on the world even before he graduated, having won a statewide oratory and essay contest, The prize included reading his essay on the nationwide WHO AM radio station, where future president Ronald Reagan started his career.
In high school, he also started dating Patty Schneider. She asked him to a Sadie Hawkins dance on the recommendation of her math teacher. He began working for local paper as a photographer and sold and repaired TVs. His senior year, he began work as an engineer and announcer at KWBG in Boone, Ia. There, he announced baseball games off the teletype machine, dramatizing the sounds of the game as he read the play-by-play. He also read the news.
In 1950, he attended Augustana Lutheran College in Rock Island, Illinois, to study public speaking. Using his own money, he built a transmitter and started the college radio station WAUG. The station currently operates 24/7, broadcasting now on the internet. While attending school, he also worked as a radio announcer and engineer for WQUA ABC for quad cities in Moline, Illinois. He participated in the choir and traveled with drama club as the lead in several productions.
On Valentine’s Day 1952, he married his high school sweetheart Patricia Schneider. She was his helpmate for the next 65 years until her passing. During college, he received his calling to the ministry and attended the seminary at the Lutheran School of Divinity, earning his Master of Divinity in 1958.
After the seminary, he served as pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in East Tawas, Michigan, with a dual appointment at Hope Lutheran Church at Oscoda, Michigan, from 1958 until 1970. During his tenure in East Tawas, the church asked him to oversee the purchase of 340 acres of land and construction of Michiluca Summer Camp. It was during this time he came to know some of trials of Amish workers helping build the camp. This led him to found the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom. His chairmanship and lifelong advocacy for them lead to a landmark Supreme Court case, Wisconsin vs Yoder (1972), that all lawyers study in constitutional law. This case has been the subject of many books and, as the result of that case, still plays an important role in many people’s lives.
He became pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Livonia, Michigan, in 1970, and served there until retiring in 2002. Under his ministry, the church grew to one of the largest in Michigan with several building campaigns. He became the editor of the monthly synod newspaper for 20,000 Michigan Lutherans. He and his bride served three generations of the congregation.
A man of many and varied interests, he became a pilot and flew his Cessna airplane to many locations. He was active in the local Swedish club and choir, attending national singing conventions. He was known for his singing voice and many came to hear him sing “Sweet little Jesus boy” every Christmas for 50 years. He maintained his lifetime first class radio and TV engineers’ license. He built a device to control the churches pipe organ and play it with a remote control.
He had purchased a cabin in Howell, Michigan, and enjoyed entertaining both family and friends there. He especially enjoyed teaching people to water ski. He also enjoyed operating his grandfather’s farm in Iowa.
Please share a memory of Rev. Lindholm or condolences with his family at his online guestbook.
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