Thomas Lindgren

Thomas Ralph Lindgren, of Fall Creek, WI, age 74, passed away on Sunday, December 27, 2020, of natural causes. He had an awesome life and often reflected on that fact.

Tom was born on April 6, 1946, in Wabasha, MN. Raised by their parents, Ralph and Helen Lindgren, Tom and his older sister, Mary grew up on a small farm in Stockholm, WI. It was at his father’s side that Tom was introduced to his passion for farming. Starting at an early age he found great joy in working with livestock. Tom consistently took Grand Champion with both his Jersey cow and Duroc pig in each category he entered through his adolescent and teen years at the Pepin County Fair. When he wasn’t working on the farm, Tom was honing his baseball skills, focusing on the positions of pitcher and catcher. Ever the resourceful farm kid, he would set up a stuffed feed bag with a hand-drawn circle against the barn and pitch ball after ball at his target. When it came to batting practice, Tom took to the field behind the house. While striving for that home run distance, he often relied on his sister to shag the balls for him. In his junior year at Pepin High School, Tom was scouted as a pitcher by Andy Pafko, a Milwaukee Braves scout and a former player for the Braves and Chicago Cubs. Unfortunately, the following year, his pitching arm got overused and his dreams of possibly advancing to the minors were thwarted. After graduating from Pepin High in 1964, Tom did play for a couple of city teams as a catcher.

In 1967, he enlisted in the Army National Guard in which he served for 6 years while simultaneously obtaining his Associate's Degree in accounting from The Eau Claire Vocational School.

While in Eau Claire enjoying a broader social scene, Tom set his eyes on a beautiful tall blonde one night at The Oar House. Her name was Kathy Getten and it didn’t take long for both of them to become smitten with each other. Married on February 9, 1974, Tom and Kathy started what would be their almost 46-year marriage. Two years into their life together, Tom found the farm of his dreams in a picturesque valley near Fall Creek, on Markgraff Road. It needed a lot of work, though and Kathy couldn’t see the vision at first, but he knew what it could be. They were quickly welcomed into a neighborhood that they would cherish forever. While working hard to start transforming their hobby horse farm into a showplace, Tom and Kathy were blessed with their first son, Josh in 1977--on Tom’s birthday. It was with this new addition that Tom found a lifelong sidekick. In the fall of 1980, they added a second son, Jake. In his final week of life, Tom stated that his two boys were the loves of his life. Over the years, as the boys grew up, Tom thoroughly enjoyed farming his land and raising quarter horses with enthused help from Josh and Jake. He was continually proud of both in whatever they were doing in life and would tell anyone who would listen.

As time went on, Tom gained a daughter-in-law in Stacey. He always referred to her, with a wink, as a “dandy”. Together, she and Josh gave Tom 2 grandsons, Liam and Evan. Both boys love baseball and tractors and Tom, or “Papa Tractor”, as he was dubbed, loved every minute he got to spend with the boys, either cheering them on at their games or teaching them how to work on his John Deere tractor collection.

Farming and baseball weren’t Tom’s only passions, though. He was an avid hunter, starting as a 13-year-old with his dad. He spent his life participating in the annual bow and gun seasons pursuing White Tail. In the early 1970s, Tom started to regularly head west to Wyoming to hunt Mule Deer with his lifelong friends, the Moline brothers. In the late 90s and early 00s, he tried his hand at hunting elk in Colorado.

Tom was not much of a traveler, other than hunting trips until the opportunity arose to head to AZ to participate in Brewers Fantasy Baseball Camp. Along with Gary, Tom’s long time neighbor, friend, and fellow baseball aficionado, he took several “once in a lifetime” trips to play and talk baseball 24/7 for a week each time. His final trip in 2010 was his favorite, as both of his boys joined him.

Tom’s faith never left him and he trusted in God every day of his life. A devout Catholic, he was a long time member of St. Raymond’s of Penafort Catholic Church in Fall Creek. Tom enjoyed his time as a Knights of Columbus and looked forward to participating in their annual rosette making events at Christmas. Delivering rosettes to his Markgraff Rd neighbors became one of his favorite holiday traditions.

Oh, yeah! Tom was also a banker for close to 43 years. He worked for a lot of different institutions and was regularly recognized for a job well done by his superiors and peers.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents Ralph and Helen Lindgren; brother, Dean Lindgren; brother-in-law, Bruce Getten; and wife, Kathy (Getten) Lindgren.

Tom is survived by his sons; Josh Lindgren (Stacey Segelken) and Jake Lindgren; grandsons, Liam and Evan Lindgren; sister, Mary (Bob) Fayerweather; sisters-in-law, Karen (Dick) Supple and Ruth Getten; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Tom always loved a good joke and could tell a story at the drop of a hat. He was a social butterfly and rarely met someone who did not become a friend. He took his friendships seriously and appreciated how those around him really did help him have an awesome life.

Due to COVID-19, a private visitation and Catholic Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Raymond of Penafort on Tuesday, January 5. The mass will begin at 11 AM and will be livestreamed on the church’s Facebook page. Please safely join us that way. Following mass, at 12:45 PM, a blessing and military honors will take place at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Eau Claire. This will be open to the public, as it will be outside and mourners can safely distance. We do ask that you please wear a mask. A celebration of life will take place at a later date.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Stokes Prock & Mundt Funeral Home, 535 S. Hillcrest Parkway, Altoona, WI. The family has requested no flowers or plants. Donations can be made in Tom’s name to either The Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild or Eau Claire Babe Ruth Baseball.