James Lindgren

James S. Lindgren, age 68, of Madison, died unexpectedly but peacefully with his family at his side on Wednesday, December 19, 2012, at Meriter Hospital after a stroke. It appears the Mayans were a bit off on their prediction - the world did indeed end on Wednesday.

He was born on January 1, 1944 in Portage, Wisconsin, to Doris (Stewart) and Rodney V. Lindgren and the whole world threw a party in his honor every year afterward. The family moved to Madison shortly after the war ended, and Jim was a proud East Side Madison boy, graduating from Madison East High in 1962. He attended the University of Wisconsin and was president of his fraternity, Theta Delta Chi. After his graduation, he enlisted in the Army National Guard and served as an OR tech as part of the 13th Evac unit during the Vietnam War. When his enlistment was up, he returned to marry the former Kathryn Buechner in 1968 and to begin law school. He graduated from the UW Law school in 1971 and began a successful law practice in New London, WI.

From 1956 when he started working as a concessions boy at Camp Randall Stadium, Jim was as big a Badger fan as there is. He attended all the home football games from that date until he left for the military, and from 1968 on he didn't miss another until 2010, when his health started to make attendance difficult. He also attended all the bowls and away games during Coach Alvarez's tenure, including the game in Tokyo.

Jim loved his family, Wisconsin sports, a cold Chardonnay, a warm beach, and a good meal with good friends (not necessarily in that order). He always found game tickets for people who wanted them and never charged more than the face value, and enjoyed arranging travel for his friends attending games. He truly loved sitting down and talking to people and could "reminisce with a total stranger". When introduced to someone new, his greeting was, "It's a pleasure to meet you" and he always meant it. Jim was also known for many years as "The Gov" due to his resemblance to a former governor.

Jim is survived by his children, Carrie (Thomas) Preston, and Andrew Lindgren; his grandchildren Catrina and Amelia; and his ex-wife Kathryn Fernholz, all of Madison; a sister Donna Genegabus, in Hawaii and her children Jason and Kristin; an aunt, Catherine (Stewart) Evans; and numerous cousins and good friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his beloved companion of the last decade, Barbara Fermanich.

In keeping with his wishes, there will be no funeral. There will be a celebration of his life during the weekend of the Badger Football Spring Game in April, 2013, with details to come. Arrangements are being handled by Cress Funeral Home. The family requests any memorials be made to Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita Support, Inc, at AMCSupport.org. They would also like to thank the staff at Meriter Hospital and Meadowmere Assisted Living, for making his last months more comfortable.