Howard passed away on September 9, 2010, from oesophegeal cancer at the age of 62. He was a bachelor farmer who lived his entire life in Saskatchewan and most of it in Bradwell, just 40 km southeast of Saskatoon.
Howard decided in the last months of his life that he would like to help the wonderful work of Saskatoon Community Foundation. He didn’t tell us exactly how much he wanted the money to be distributed. Farming was Howard’s life so it has been decided that it will go towards a scholarship or bursary to a student at a smaller school who wants to further his or her education in the agricultural field. Howard attended school in Bradwell, Elstow and Clavet.
Howard came from a strong farming background. His maternal grandparents, Warren and Ethel Steeves, farmed in the Choiceland area for many years. In their early 60’s they moved to Taylor, B.C. to break land and farm there. His paternal grandparents, Frank P. and Ellen Lindberg, who came to Canada from Sweden via Ohio, farmed in the Dundurn area for many years. Their barn was the site of many Saturday night dances. His parents, Harry and Nelda Lindberg of Bradwell, farmed south of Bradwell for many years as well. Harry Lindberg was stricken with multiple sclerosis but farmed on crutches for over 20 years.
As a young man, Howard worked on the grain farm. When he finished high school at Clavet, he took a Heavy Duty Mechanics course at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and worked at various jobs in the Saskatoon area for several years. When the opportunity came to farm his parents’ land came, he jumped at the chance. It was only a half section, so Howard also worked as a hired hand for larger farmers. He had to retire in the summer of 2009 due to poor health.
The last time Howard was out of his house in Bradwell, he was driven around the countryside so he could see how the crops were ripening. He knew the owners of every piece of land for miles around. It is somehow fitting that his days should come to an end at harvest time.
The Howard Lindberg Memorial Award, funded by an endowment at the Saskatoon Community Foundation, will reward academic achievement for students enrolled in an undergraduate diploma program within the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan, with a preference for those who graduated from a small rural high school.