Claude Lindsey

Claude Lindsey passed away peacefully on October 30, 2024 and rejoined his beloved wife of 65 years, Joanne, whom he missed deeply since her death in 2020. A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 1 o’clock in the Chapel of Parrott Funeral Home with Father Spenser Simrill officiating. Claude was born at home on a farm just a short distance from Ballground, Georgia during the night of November 2, 1930. (While the doctor wrote the 3rd on his birth certificate, which was never changed, the family always asserted he was born before midnight and used the 2nd for every document since his birth causing lots of headaches in the modern world explaining why his birthday might be the 2nd or the 3rd.) Growing up in the depression on a farm with no electricity or running water, Claude worked early in his life to help support the family. He picked cotton, worked long hours in a sawmill, and began driving a Cherokee County school bus at the age of 14! However, not every hour was filled with work and chores. As with other children of his time, Claude had the blessings of family and a large extended family who lived nearby. He regularly played baseball in the vacant fields of the farm with his older brother and cousins. He became quite skilled in the game and eventually played on his high school baseball team that won the state championship in his senior year and on many adult softball teams throughout his twenties and thirties. After graduation, he continued to help support his family by driving a long-haul truck until he joined the United States Air Force. Claude had a deep interest in machines and everything mechanical, and so, he took and passed the entrance exam to attend school for airplane maintenance. He excelled in school and got the highest score on the Air Force Airframe and Powerplant (AP) license exam. As a result, he was given his choice of assignments. He chose Fairchild AFB in Spokane, Washington so he could be on the maintenance crew of the B-36, the largest bomber at that time, to help our troops fight in the Korean War. While stationed in Spokane, he met and married Joanne Hollyoak who was studying to be a registered nurse. Despite having promised his new mother-in-law he would not take her baby girl away and move across the country to Georgia, Claude accepted a job offer in 1956 from Eastern Air Lines to be a line mechanic in Atlanta. While feeling bad about his broken promise, Claude was getting out of the Air Force and needed a good job to support his new wife and the family they hoped to have. He and Joanne moved to Hapeville, Georgia and the babies soon came. The first, Chuck, was born in August of 1957, followed by Rick(y) a mere 53 weeks later, and Ron(nie) 18 months thereafter. Claude and his young family took full advantage of the airline perks and travelled extensively for many years – especially to the northwest to visit relatives and Air Force buddies. Claude retired from Eastern in 1987 but sitting around the house was not for him. He quickly accepted a job as head of maintenance for the Atlanta Airport Howard Johnson’s hotel where he remained for almost 25 years. Claude and Joanne moved to Peachtree City in 2007 to be closer to family. They both loved spending time with their sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They also continued to travel back to Spokane but not as frequently as they once had. Perhaps one of their favorite pastimes was watching the Atlanta Braves on television whenever a game was broadcast. Claude’s love of baseball that began in his youth on the fields of the family farm never waned. If there is baseball in heaven, he is playing a game with his brother and cousins while Joanne cheers him on from the sidelines. He is survived by his sons, Charles “Chuck” Lindsey (Shea), Rick Lindsey (Cindy), Ron Lindsey (Denice); grandchildren, Zeb Grant, Corey Lindsey (Katie), Brandon Lindsey (Amanda), Lauren Lindsey (Jason Roberts), Jenna Smallwood (Marcus), Stephanie Rexrode, Kristen Lindsey, Tyler Lindsey; great grandchildren, Ella Rose, Everleigh, Jack, Madison, Emmaleigh, Avery, Logan, Oliver, Parker, Quinn, and Harper; his sister, Rachel Jordan. We will miss you, Dad. – Chuck, Rick, and Ron

Claude Lindsey

November 2, 1930 - October 30, 2024