OBITUARY: Bob Lindner
Bob Lindner was born August 5, 1920, in Dayton, Ohio, to Carl and Clara Lindner. He was the second of four children: Carl Jr, Richard and Dorothy (Kreuzman).
The family moved to Indianapolis and later Cincinnati, as his father started dairy businesses in each city, with varying success. They were a very close, hard-working family that required everyone’s involvement to make their ventures successful.
During the great depression, Bob dropped out of Withrow School after the 8th grade, to work full time in order to support the family business. He was always proud of the fact that a kid who never graduated high school could end up being successful in the business world. The family finally found success when they opened United Dairy Farmers in 1940.
In 1942, Bob joined the Army Air Corp and was trained as a weatherman/cryptographer. He was eventually stationed in the South Pacific on the islands of Guam and Saipan before returning home on the USS West Virginia, after three years of service. His military experience also established his love of country and support for our veterans. He was an active supporter of the USO and was proudly awarded “the spirit of hope.”
It was also the war that led to the introduction of his future wife. An army buddy gave him the name of a girl he knew from El Paso, who had recently moved to Hamilton, Ohio. Bob and Betty (Johnston) Lindner were later married and were inseparable as they spent the next 66 years raising four boys.
Bob spent his early years at UDF managing milk and ice cream production. Under the leadership of Carl Jr., the company ventured into other businesses, including American Financial. It was American Financial’s two developments in the late 70’s, the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo and the Boca Grande Club when Bob considered having a home in Florida. After only a few visits to the island, he became convinced there couldn’t possibly be a more perfect setting in all of Florida. It was here that he chose to spend time during the winter months.
A family camping trip to Colorado in 1969 exposed Bob to the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. He fell in love with the western way of life and spent the next several decades acquiring over 15,000 acres of ranch land in northern and southern Colorado. He often referred to them as ‘his Rembrandts’. Establishing the land as a cattle ranch operation, Bob discovered his passion for ranching. Bob was a steward of the land and was committed to maintaining the Ranching heritage. preserving these properties from development became a priority that led him to place the land into a Conservation Easement.
Most importantly, Bob’s life was defined by his faith. He was a generous man who realized his good fortune came by blessings from God. As a result, he spent his energy and resources sharing this message in an effort to lead others to expand their Christian faith.
Bob passed early Wednesday morning February 16, 2022 in his home surrounded by his four boys. He was 101.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Johnston Lindner. He is survived by his children: Robert (Paula) Lindner Jr., Jeff Lindner, Brad (Marsha) Lindner, David (Joann) Lindner; grandchildren: Jolie Lindner, Jill (JP) Boldt, Trisha Flynn, Robert (Kali) Lindner III, Leela (Martin) Metz, Sita Lindner, Emma (John) Gill, Will (Lee) Lindner, Sadie Lindner, Avery Lindner, Andrew Lindner, John Lindner; great grandchildren: Olivia, Nate, Keira, Hayden, Campbell, Brooks, Thea, Trevor, Huxley, Piper, Frankie, and Arlo.
A private visitation was held on Monday, February 21 at Montgomery Community Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church of Boca Grande, P.O. Box 337, Boca Grande, FL 33921.
