Richard H "Dick" Lyndes

Richard “Dick” Lyndes was born July 22, 1932 to Harvey and Helen Lyndes of Berea and Elyria, Ohio. He had two younger sisters, Virginia (Clarence Pipert) and Linda (Dick Lee). Dick graduated from Elyria High School in 1950; he was Valedictorian in a class of 273. He attended Case Western Reserve University on an academic scholarship. He formed lifelong friendships, especially with members of the Engineering Fraternity, Sigma Nu.

He met Gail Opdyke on a blind date at a swimming party on November 14, 1952; they became engaged on November 14, 1953, and were married June 19, 1954. One month after their honeymoon at Paradox Lake, New York, Dick was drafted into the United States Army. Dick served his enlistment in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., where he taught topographic computing at Fort Belvoir.

After being honorably discharged, Dick and Gail moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he first worked for a surveyor, then at the Ohio Highway Department (designing highways), then at Capital City Products (as a Systems Engineer), and finally back at the Ohio Highway Department before retiring in 1996.

Dick and Gail were the proud parents of four compliant/incorrigible children. They tested, and were in turn, tested by: David (born 1955), Robert (born 1957), James (born 1960), and Kathryn (born 1963). They made their home in Worthington – living in Wilson Hills, Worthington Estates, and Worthington Hills.

Dick joined Gethsemane Lutheran Church in 1959, a congregation that was a vital part of his life, and was active until just a few months before his death. He taught Sunday School to grade school, high school, and adult students, served on the Board of Elders and Pastoral Search Committees, led and coordinated worship at the Worthington Nursing Home, and served on the Finance Board, Education Board (including chair of this committee), Student Internship Committee Chair, and was a Shepherding Group Volunteer. It was a rare Sunday when Dick wasn’t at worship, and even rarer that he was less than five minutes late with four children in tow. They snuck in quietly and sat in the back pews. This was a fault that no amount of coffee could fix.

Dick lived a life of service, including the following:

- Worthington Lion’s Club (President three times)

- YMCA Indian Guides

- Assistant Scoutmaster, Boy Scouts, Troop 333 (and Canoe Instructor)

- Fundraising Chair for the United Way of Franklin County

- Curriculum Advisory Board for Business Data Processing at Columbus Technical Institute

- Blood donor (over 4 gallons)

Dick and Gail loved to travel. Together, they visited 37 countries, starting their world travels with a trip to Kenya. They took their grandchildren to Europe: Switzerland with Nichele and Derek, and London and Paris with Natalie and Sean. He took regular fishing trips to Canada with his good friend, Mel Fenner. Dick’s last trip was a tour of the Hudson River in the summer of 2024.

Dick loved to play contract bridge and cribbage (or any card game). Like his mother, Helen, he played to win. He was an avid golfer, sailor, handyman, gardener, student of the Bible, board gamer, historian, and genealogist.

Dick started the Lyndes’ Family Memorial Scholarship Fund with the Case Alumni Foundation to support Junior and Senior students in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in honor of his first date with Gail.

Dick was a devoted husband (and Gail’s personal fact-checker), wonderful father, loyal friend, and faithful Christian. He is preceded in death by his wife, Gail, his son and daughter-in-law, David and Cathy, his parents, Helen and Harvey, and his sisters, Virginia Pipert and Linda Lee. He is survived by his children, Robert Stowman Lyndes (Sheryl Lyndes Stowman), James Lyndes (Barb Lyndes), and Kathy Arata Lyndes (Louis Lyndes Arata), grandchildren Derek Lyndes (Clare Dreyer), Nichele Mather (Tyler Mather), Natalie Lyndes, and Sean Lyndes (Dala Alhindi Lyndes), and two great-grandchildren: Arthur “Artie” Mather, and Artie’s brother due in June.

Dick’s kind and loving heart beat for ninety-two years, seven months, and twenty-one days. He was admitted to Dublin Methodist Hospital on March 12 with Congestive Heart Failure and received a heavenly discharge on March 15, 2025.

Visitation will be held on Friday, May 23, from 10am until 11am, where a Memorial Service and reception will follow at 11am, at the Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 35 E Stanton Ave, Columbus OH, 43215.

Donations requested to the Lyndes’ Family Memorial Scholarship Fund (please write checks to “Case Alumni Foundation” – subject line: Lyndes’ Memorial Scholarship Fund) in lieu of flowers. The mailing address is:

Case Alumni Foundation

Tomlinson Hall 109

10900 Euclid Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44106

Alternatively, people can make a gift to the fund online:

casealumni.org/give/

Check the box that says "I would like to dedicate this gift."

Select "In Memory Of" and add "Dick Lyndes" to the box that says honoree name.

In "Other" type Lyndes' Family Memorial Scholarship Fund.

A livestream of the service will be available at the below link.

https://www.youtube.com/live/zTiz6bCtWCM?si=efWJdyaXaFe1z4Bk