Reba Lee Lindgren's Obituary
Reba Lee Hardin Lindgren of Provo, Utah, our loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister-in-law, aunt, great-aunt, neighbor, and blessed friend, passed away peacefully at home on March 16, 2023, surrounded by many loved ones.
Reba was born on January 16, 1947, to Grant and Margaret Hardin in her grandmother’s log cabin in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, the fifth of six children. She grew up on the lap of her mother, whom she adored. Reba lived in Caswell County, North Carolina, during much of her grade school and high school years with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents close by. Reba was a beautiful, friendly, cheerful child who loved to spend time with family and friends. All who knew her in her youth described her as hard-working, good-natured, talented, the life of the party due to her joking, fun-loving, sassy humor, as well as being a kind and considerate sweetheart of the south. As a young, poor, mountain girl, Reba learned to be resilient when growing up without basic things like food, running water, or a flushing toilet, until she left North Carolina when she was 22 years old. Reba’s father did what he could to provide for the family by fishing, hunting, working in tobacco fields, and doing various jobs for family and friends. She revered her mother who taught her to garden, preserve goods, make soap, cook, sew, make something from very few resources, give compassionately to others, and be a grateful person. Reba taught and passed along these skills and the importance of preparedness to her family and hundreds of other people for the rest of her life. She believed in following the counsel to prepare every needful thing as she stored almost everything from fruit to toilet paper. In her youth, she loved to sing, cut a rug at church dances, and play basketball. Reba graduated from LDS Seminary and Bartlett Yancey High School in 1966 with a scholarship to become a nurse.
Always resourceful, as a young adult she babysat, traded cleaning and cooking for room and board, recycled second-hand clothing, sewed fancy dresses from factory fabric leftovers, and even dyed her shoes to match! Reba worked hard in school and worked hard as she trained to be a nurse and later continued that work off and on until just before her eighth child arrived. She used her nursing skills for the rest of her life as she always enjoyed serving others. Soon after becoming a nurse, Reba decided to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was eventually called to the North Central States Mission.
While preparing to leave on her mission, she was invited by a friend to move to Utah to be roommates. Reba saw it as an adventurous opportunity and a chance to attend the temple prior to going on her mission. Thinking she would quickly return home to her mother, Reba only packed enough for a few weeks, said goodbye, jumped in her convertible and drove across the country with her friend on a grand adventure! Little did she know how quickly her plans would change.
Eight months after arriving in Provo, Reba went on a Stake bus trip with her church group to do service in the Manti Temple. On the bus, she met Rick Lindgren, a dashing, tall, blonde, blue-eyed, charming young man who flirted with her relentlessly. Taking advantage of the fact that Reba was far from home, Rick invited her to his family’s Thanksgiving dinner in Sandy, Utah. Rick loved her smile, her southern charm, her gorgeous hazel eyes, her thick brunette hair, her laughter, her big heart, and her sunny disposition. The two became inseparable. Their young love was a whirlwind! They were engaged one week after they met and married a few weeks later on Reba’s 23rd birthday in the Salt Lake City Temple.
Reba bore eight children from 1970 to 1983. She devoted her life of service to her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and enjoyed being an aunt and a wonderful friend and mother to others. Many people believed they were her favorite person because of her unconditional acceptance and love. Even her daughter-in-law and sons-in-law claimed her as “mom.” Reba was resilient as she faced many trials and challenges, and was quick to forgive others. She loved all whom she met and always spoke kindly of everyone. Reba was not a complainer as she accepted life as it was. Her beauty, grace, success, and unconditional love shone brightly in the service of community, family, friends, and all those she came in contact with.
Compassion and charity was always a part of Reba’s life. Her husband, Rick, fondly remembers that their home would often be filled with the aroma of cookies, cakes, fresh baked bread, or even a delicious dinner that she would be making for a widow, a friend, or a family in need, as this was a way she showed the love of the Savior by always caring and giving to others. On more than one occasion, Reba stayed up all night to comfort and love someone in need. She always acknowledged that everyone is a child of God and worthy of love.
Reba is survived by her husband of 53 years, Rick Lindgren, eight children, their spouses, forty grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, many in-laws, beloved nieces and nephews as well as many wonderful friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and five siblings.
There will be a short viewing from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Provo Utah Central Stake Center, 450 N. 1220 W., Provo, UT 84601 on Friday, March 24, 2023. A Celebration of Life will follow at 11:00 a.m. Interment at the Provo City Cemetery. Live streaming at: https://in-memorial-reba-lindgren.webflow.io/
In lieu of flowers, it is requested that a donation be made to a charity of your choice “In Memory of Reba Lindgren” or do a service for someone in your family who is in need in honor of Reba’s lifelong service.
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