On August 2, 2023 Lindie Phipps passed away at the age of 66. We knew he only had a little time, but we never imagined he would go so quickly. Mark had plans to go visit him on the 1st and the boys were going to visit him on the 3rd. Lindie called Mark in the evening of August 1st and told Mark he was just too tired and that he should come by on the 3rd with the boys( Mark had an all day meeting on the 2nd). They talked on speaker phone and Lindie was sad at the end of the call and you could hear in his voice he was crying. The thought crossed my mind, what if he doesn't make it to the 3rd? But then I thought he sounded pretty good and sometimes people can hold on for days and weeks. This was his first day being moved into a hospital style bed in his own home. He was talking about all the terrible things he had to endure having to be stuck in the bed. I didn't want Lindie to long suffer, so I am very thankful he did not. My selfish self wanted him to stay longer so we could all have those final words, hugs, goodbyes. That night I went to bed and prayed for Lindie. I woke early on the 2nd and Linide was on my mind. I lay in bed and prayed for a long time. I prayed for him to not suffer and that he could go quietly in peace. I pondered whether I should go with Mark and the boys to see him. I didn't know if that would be something that would make him uncomfortable or if he would want me there. As I prayed God put it on my mind to send a text to Lindie. I know it is hard for him to talk as he can barely get enough oxygen just sitting. I wrote a long message and read it over a few times and waited an hour. It was pretty early and I did not want to wake him by sending it. I sent the text at 7:40AM. I later learned that he passed around 8:45/9:00. It made me so sad that Lindie never got to see my message. I have so much regret that I failed to send it earlier, days earlier. I did however send it before he passed and Julie got to read it and told me how much she appreciated that and how much Lindie would have loved that. Lindie was a family friend and a distant relative. Over the past several years, we got closer to his family. He came and worked for us during harvest as the grain cart driver for many seasons. He was part of the crew and all our employees got to know him well. It was so hard for him not to be in the tractor this past fall. He wanted to so bad, but both he and Mark knew that just wasn't a good idea. We told him to come out and ride, but we think it was just too hard to be in it and not able to run with us. Lindie was always very appreciative of the meals I brought to the field and he was full of compliments on my cooking. When Lindie and Julie first returned back to the area, they opened The Grand Times Cafe. We also loved to dine at their Cafe the years it was open and then we had food catered for occasions over the year years from birthdays to graduations. Lindie was a former sheriff long before we knew him, and that made him tough to the core. He stood up for what he believed and wasn't afraid to let anyone know, even if it was harsh. You certainly did not want to be on his bad side! It has been really hard on Mark. They used to go have lunch or coffee together and just talk about life. Mark considered hi one of his closest friends. The boys enjoyed long talks with Lindie in the tractor and got in on some car rides in his renovated green car Fiona. Lindie would buy red Gatorade and Ho Ho snacks for Luke in the tractor. Linde allowed Jake to drive the green Challenger. We all have special memories of Lindie and we will miss him so much.
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