Bertil Albin Lindgren

Bertil Albin Lindgren, family man, entrepreneur and lover of life, passed away on Nov. 17, 2021 at the age of 89.

Bertil spent the first years of his life exploring the wilderness around his family's log cabin homestead near Mackenzie Station, just outside Thunder Bay. When it came time to start school, his parents Mabel and Albin moved into the city with him and his younger sister Kay.

His passion for the outdoors, however, stayed with him as he grew up to become a loving husband and father, successful businessman and world traveler – the kind who traversed huge sections of the Australian outback in a ute and visited Cuba before it was popular.

Bertil started working in construction as a labourer when he was 15, became a master electrician, and eventually, with his wife Margo, founded B.A. Lindgren Electric Limited. The company worked on commercial and industrial projects throughout Northwestern Ontario. Bertil eventually served as president of the Thunder Bay Electrical Contractors Association.

He was generous in sharing the proceeds of his success. He supported the United Way, the local hospital, Magnus Theatre and numerous other causes. He discreetly helped friends, neighbours and employees in need.

And he was always there for his family. He spent hours fixing snow machines and motorcycles with his son Derrick. They fished at the “secret lakes” Bertil always seemed to know about. They discussed life and what it throws at us, and they laughed. Bertil was a funny, witty guy.

For a man of his vintage, he was also a bit of a feminist. He loved women and considered them superior human beings. Margo, his wife 66 years, was his business partner and equal in every way. He encouraged his daughter April to take calculated risks and for years tried to instill in her an appreciation of power tools: His present to her on her 50th birthday was a cherry red air nailer.

Bertil loved being a grandfather to Kerstin, Erika and Keira, the children of Derrick and his wife Lisa. He taught Kerstin to change the tires on her car so she wouldn't be at the mercy of garage mechanics. His granddaughters adored him for his humour and the thrilling, if occasionally scary, games he dreamt up on a regular basis. Tick-Talk, for instance, involved being held upside down by the legs and dangled back and forth.

The man's love of animals was legendary in the family. When he was younger, he doted upon - and vehemently defended - the behaviour of his dog Major, a badly trained Boxer. As he got older, he lavished attention on the pets belonging to his children and grandchildren. A decade ago he noticed a crippled raven on his property, delivered food to her in the backyard until she recovered, and then fed generations of her offspring.

Bertil appreciated nice cars, motorcycles and boats of all kinds. As a retiree, he relished construction projects: He and Derrick built Derrick's family home in Thunder Bay. He never met a tool he didn't want to own, whether it was a backhoe or boom truck, pocketknife or fountain pen. In the last weeks of his life, when he had to use a walker, he pronounced it a “good piece of equipment.”

Bertil gave his daughter a couple of driving lessons and the keys to a car when she was 15 because, he said, he was tired of chauffeuring her around. He considered gates on wilderness roads that blocked access to good fishing lakes a personal affront and found ways around them. He had little love for building inspectors. He was no great fan of rules.

He was, however, a great fan of living life to the fullest.

Bertil is survived by his wife Margo, daughter April, son Derrick and his wife Lisa, three granddaughters and four great grandchildren. They plan to celebrate his life next summer at a gathering of friends and family.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre or the Alzheimer Society of Thunder Bay would be greatly appreciated.

Online condolences may be made through
www.nwfainc.com