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William Lindsey Obituary

William Haynes Lindsey

Montpelier - William Haynes Lindsey, loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away at age 87 in Montpelier, Virginia on May 21, 2021 after a long illness. His beloved wife, Linda Brinkley Lindsey, predeceased him in February 2019.

A longtime resident of Tallahassee, Florida, Bill was a savvy businessman and entrepreneur, an engaging community leader, an avid college football fan, and a passionate patron of the arts.

He loved deeply, laughed easily, and had an extraordinary ability to find joy and humor throughout his life.

Bill was irrepressibly optimistic, perpetually curious and eager to learn. He possessed the technical skills of a mechanic and the creative soul of a poet. Bill was an accomplished photographer, carpenter, computer programmer and creative writer.

His interests and professional career were rich and satisfying, but Bill's greatest joy was his family. And no one captured his interest and imagination more than his wife of 60 years, Linda.

She was the love of his life and Bill fell for her - hard - while both were attending Florida State University. When he spied Linda in a shared class, it was love at first sight - for Bill. Persistence, sharp wit, and his endearing affection soon won her heart. They married at First Baptist Church in Tallahassee in 1958, and were later blessed with three children, Priscilla, Brink and Sarah.

Bill relished fatherhood and was an enthusiastic advocate for all his children's hobbies and interests. From trips to the Cape for the thrill of seeing rocket launches, to camp adventures with the scouts, to countless music lessons and performances, Bill engaged with great pride. Later he became a doting and encouraging grandfather to eight grandchildren, six boys and two girls.

An inventive craftsman and woodworker, he designed and helped build their beloved house on Sharer Road - a home he painstakingly maintained for 50 years. There, Bill and Linda created a happy hangout for friends and family.

Bill was born on October 6, 1933 in Troy, Alabama, the youngest of five children and only son to Beuna Knotts Lindsey and Arch Lindsey.

As a boy, he was an avid hobbyist and mechanic. At age 12, Bill ran his own commercial business selling models and supplies. He was also a lover of aeronautics, aviation and engineering, and first solo-piloted an Aeronca C3 plane before his thirteenth birthday.

After moving to Panama City, Florida and attending Bay High School, Bill served in the U.S. Army in Hawaii during the Korean War from 1951 to 1954, working for the Army Security Agency intercepting coded messages from Russia and Japan.

Later, Bill attended Florida State University under the GI Bill. He was honored with the Sigma Tau Delta Freshman Writing Award, the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, received the Most Distinguished Biology Undergraduate Award, and graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in business.

Bill's early professional life was distinguished by many successful years with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, where he was a decorated sales leader and was awarded Man of the Year multiple times. His experience inspired him to launch his own company in the late 1960s, Benefit Systems, a communications firm that assisted companies and municipalities in communicating benefits to their employees. This led to his founding of Teach America Corporation in 1979, which expanded the benefit communication business into audio-visual training materials for medical schools and state agencies.

Bill retired from his companies in 1998, but remained busy renovating and maintaining his numerous rental properties, and preserving and updating the family's beloved home in Tallahassee.

A proud, 50-year Rotarian in Tallahassee, Bill first joined the Downtown Rotary Club in 1964, and was a founding member and first president of the Northside Rotary Club in 1967. He was awarded the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow honor in 1969, served again as president in 1990, and proudly participated in many of the club's contributions including the Rotary Youth Camp, the Hands Helping Anglers program for people with disabilities, and providing a children's hospital in Ukraine with desperately needed equipment and supplies.

Bill loved music and the arts, and delighted friends and family with his original poetry. He was a proud supporter of the Tallahassee Symphony, and donated a custom-designed conductor's podium he helped craft.

After his beloved wife became ill, Bill and Linda moved to Virginia to share a home with their daughter Priscilla and son-in-law Mark. They lived under their care and that of dedicated caregivers until their passing.

He is survived by his daughter Priscilla Lindsey Biddle and husband Mark of Montpelier, Virginia; his son William Brinkley Lindsey and wife Meaw of Frederick, Maryland and Roi Et, Thailand; and his daughter Sarah Lindsey Holmes and husband Chuck of Homewood, Alabama. He is survived by eight grandchildren: Alec Broen (and wife Heather), Colin Biddle (and wife Janet), Matthew Lindsey, Ellen Broen (and husband Matt), Michael Lindsey, Graeme Biddle, Katie Holmes and Jack Lindsey. He is also survived by beloved nieces and many dear friends.

He was predeceased by his wife, Linda, his parents, Arch and Beuna, and his sisters, Vera, Mildred, Glennie and Mary.

A graveside service honoring Bill's life will be held at Roselawn Cemetery on Monday, June 21st at 10 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in his name be made to Rotary International at: www.rotary.org/en/donate

Published by Tallahassee Democrat from Jun. 10 to Jun. 20, 2021.
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Graveside service

10:00 a.m.

Roselawn Cemetery

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