Roberta Lindstrand

1927 - 2023

URBANA - Roberta Bloom Lindstrand was born Oct. 30, 1927, on a farm near Catlin, the daughter of Peter Earl and Ena Phipps Bloom.

She attended Catlin Grade School and her freshman year at Catlin High School. She graduated from University High School, Class of 1945. Then she graduated from the University of Illinois, Class of 1949, in LAS. She continued her education and received a B.S. degree from the College of Education in 1951. She began her teaching career as a kindergarten teacher at Douglas Center in Champaign. She joined Champaign Unit 4 in the fall of 1951 as a first-grade teacher at Percival School (on the UI campus) with 19 children from Stadium Terrace. She then taught at Columbia and Garden Hills Elementary schools. She received her master's in education in 1957. She worked each summer for the Champaign Park District as a park counselor at Scott and Clark parks.

She married Gordon Lindstrand in June 1956. From that union, she had two sons, Brian Eric and Evan Russell. This marriage took her to Columbia, S.C., where Dr. Lindstrand was on the English faculty at USC. She taught one year in first grade there at Denny Terrace Elementary School.

After her divorce, she returned to C-U and again began working for Unit 4. She set up a reading lab at Garden Hills and later became a third-grade teacher there until her retirement in 1993. After retirement, she became active in General Federation of Women's clubs, especially the Woman's Club of Champaign-Urbana. She was president of the group, secretary of Dist. 19 and International Outreach chairman of Dist. 19 for four years. She was especially proud of the club's work with Operation Smile. She attended many state conventions, two international conventions, one in Denver and one in Chicago, and made many friends across the state of Illinois.

She also became the wedding coordinator at Wesley Church & Foundation on the UI campus. She was an Illini football fan, a member of the UI Alumni Association, member of the President's Council, a life member of IEA, NEA, CCRTA, RSVP, Delta Kappa Gamma, CWU and Wesley UMW. She also sang with the Sweet Adelines.

She was proud of her volunteer hours. She volunteered at children's programs at Krannert, empty tomb, inc., Wesley Evening Food Pantry and Cunningham Children's Home, where she was a guardian parent for many years.

She loved to play bridge and belonged to three different groups here in C-U. She also had many friends in in a regular fitness class.

Her winters were spent in Okeechobee, Fla. While there, she attended United Methodist Church, worked in the library, quilted with Oka Tanti quilters, played bridge and attended Silver Sneakers classes. Many Illinoisians visited her there.

She was preceded in death by her parents and all her siblings, C. Ruth Burnham, Earl P. Bloom, Ralph U. Bloom and E. Maxine Bloom, all of who were UI graduates.

She leaves behind her sons, Brian Eric Lindstrand (Joanne Miller) of Champaign and Evan Russell Lindstrand (Lisa); two granddaughters, Monet Roese and Caitlin Roese Lindstrand of Crystal Lake; two nieces, Roberta L. Steward of Fairfield, Ohio, Catherine A. Burnham of Provo, Utah (also UI graduates); one great-nephew, Russell Steward (Maria), and sons Ace and Jordan of Westwood, N.J.; one great-niece, Kyra M. Raimey (Harry), and three children, Isaiah, Gabrielle and Noah, of West Chester, Ohio.; sister-in-law, June Lindstrand of Buchanan, Mich.; nephew, John Lindstrand of Knox, Ind.; and Laura Lindstrand of Elma, Wash.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 6, at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1203 W. Green St., Urbana. The Rev. Vaughn Hoffman will officiate. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Urbana. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. April 5 at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her memory to the UMW at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1203 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801, to be used to continue their mission work, locally, nationally and internationally, or Cunningham Children's Home, 1301 N. Cunningham Ave., Urbana, IL 61802.

Condolences may be offered at renner-wikoffchapel.com.