Michael C Lindsey

The Lindsey family announces with great sadness the passing of Michael Charles Lindsey of Arlington, Vermont. In March 2018, Mike passed away from natural causes at age 65. Mike was born on April 5, 1952 in Bennington Putnam Memorial Hospital to Robert Dean Lindsey and Clara Corrine Young. He is survived by his siblings, Tim Lindsey of Harvest, AL and Christine Griffis of Milton, VT, and his children, Benjamin Michael Lindsey of Santa Cruz, CA and Jane Lindsey of Santa Barbara, CA. A resident of Vermont his entire life, Mike grew up in West Arlington not far from the New York State Line. He was a boy scout for 10 years in Troop 334 led by his father, a Mason and a member of 1967 Taconic Chapter Order of DeMoley. He loved being outdoors and spent summers swimming, fishing, hiking and camping. In 1970, Mike graduated from Arlington Memorial High School with honors and the Senior Athlete of the Year award for soccer, basketball and baseball. After high school, Mike moved to Burlington to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Vermont. In 1975, he received the degree with honors from the School of Technology. That same year, he moved back to Arlington and married Cassie Gardner; his wife for 20 years and mother of his children. In addition to being an electrician, he was a carpenter. In 1979, he built his family's energy efficient home on School Street with his brother-in-law, Scott Gardner. The home featured innovative use of solar panels, south facing windows and a massive centralized brick chimney. Alongside his closest friends, he commissioned and played in the Arlington Volleyball League. In 1980, he was confirmed at St. James Episcopal Church and served as warden for a period of time. Post college, Mike worked at Mack Molding for 5 years and then became the Plant Engineer for National Hanger Company. He was a certified Master Electrician and was revered as a colleague who was dependable, helpful, big-hearted, knowledgeable and able to solve any electrical issue just by listening to machinery. He worked there for 34 years until his retirement in the fall of 2017. Mike's greatest joy was his family. He coached his children in various sports, culminating in being the Arlington Girl's Varsity coach for 7 years. He celebrated over 100 wins and a 45 game winning streak. He was a coach who led by example, sprinting full field dashes, heading balls and curving corner kicks and most importantly, he instilled the values of team camaraderie, commitment, respect and determination. A true Vermonter, Mike was a naturalist, life long gardener, outdoorsman and sportsman. In his younger years, he enjoyed hunting on Grass Mountain and Grease Rock, sailing on Lake Champlain, cross country skiing on West Mountain and camping throughout the state. He ran the Bennington Road Race, jogged to the West Arlington Covered Bridge in all seasons and rode his bike to the New York State Line. He loved the ocean, sunbathing, body surfing, trips to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard and driving down the Atlantic Coast. He had an exuberant personality and was a gregarious story teller. He brought together his closest friends (the Johnsons, Mators, Claros and Connells) for holiday celebrations, volleyball games in the yard, dancing, bonfires and fireworks. Later in life, Michael's hobbies included gardening, golfing, bowling, genealogy and Norman Rockwell history, stamp and coin collecting, New England road trips and visiting his children in California. Mike was a man of integrity. He was kind, generous and self-less, believing in community and philanthropy. He donated his garden-grown vegetables each year to the Arlington Food Shelf. In honor of all of his wonderful qualities and contributions to the community, a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 16th 2 pm - 5 pm at the Lion's Pavilion, Arlington Recreation Park 148 VT-7A. Please RSVP to the family at: MichaelCLindsey1952@gmail.com. To honor Mike, donations can be made to the Arlington Food Shelf, Inc. PO Box 723 Arlington, VT 05250. In honor of all of his wonderful qualities and contributions to the community, a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 16th 2 pm - 5 pm at the Lion's Pavilion, Arlington Recreation Park 148 VT-7A. Please RSVP to the family at: MichaelCLindsey1952@gmail.com. To honor Mike, donations can be made to the Arlington Food Shelf, Inc. PO Box 723 Arlington, VT 05250.