Obituary of Dennis Oscar Lindberg

Dennis Oscar Lindberg, a long-time rice farmer and Richvale community advocate, died August 14, 2020 at the age of 96 in Oroville after a brief illness. “I am forever grateful for the family to which I was born, and for growing up in the presence of the people who founded Richvale in the early 1900’s,” he wrote in an autobiography penned in July, 2010. “The example set by those who worked so hard then provided opportunities and inspiration for we who followed.” He was born in the Richvale home of his parents, David F. and Minnie M. Lindberg, July 23, 1924. Other family members included older siblings Marjorie, Melva and Arthur (Ole) Lindberg Sr., all of whom preceded him in death. Dennis graduated from Richvale Grammar and Biggs High School and quickly began a 78-year rice farming career. His first crop, 27 rented acres in 1942, yielded 50 hundredweight per acre, an enviable start before successful breeding programs more than doubled the potential. He first worked on the farm with his father, pulling bundle wagons filled with rice shocks to a stationary harvester, among other chores. Other seasonal employment included working at Butte County Rice Growers Association during winter months, sewing and stacking 100-pound bags of rice for shipment to market by rail. During summer, he was on the tule crew cleaning ditches for Drainage District 100. An accomplished musician, he played first chair trumpet all four years of high school and after graduation played Saturday night dance gigs for 25 years. It was there Dennis met his true love and life partner, Charlotte Garaicotchea, the daughter of French Basque immigrants in Oroville. They married in 1945 and soon had two children, Sherry and Gary. Their home on Old 99E (now Midway) was directly across from the giant, dusty silos of Butte County Rice Growers Association. He was active in community activities: 4-H, Richvale Softball League, Richvale Cub Scots, Biggs Little League, Community Band, Richvale Volunteer Fire Department (Fire Chief for several years), Richvale Hunting Area, and the Richvale Foundation and Café Booster Club. Dennis emceed the Booster meetings, entertaining the locals with guest speakers and watermelon weight-guessing contests. Circa 1953, Dennis donated farm equipment and participated in fund-raisers to construct the first nine holes of Table Mountain Golf Course in Oroville, where he and Charlotte were members for many years. The family moved from Richvale to Thermalito in the mid-1960’s, with Dennis commuting daily to his hometown routine of work and play. Even then he was referred to as the unofficial "Mayor of “Richvale.” He avidly hunted ducks, geese, dove, quail, pheasants and deer in Northern California. He also enjoyed fly fishing trout, mainly in Plumas County. He took big game hunts to Oregon, Alaska, Canada, Utah and Wyoming. In 2008-9 he wrote and published an account of his hunting experience, Hunters and the Dogs of Hunters I Have Known. At his private clubhouse, the Pickin’ Shed, guests feasted on spit-roasted waterfowl and other delectables. For many years he farmed in partnership with his “Swede brother Ole”, whom he loved dearly, and they developed a custom harvesting operation that could get the job done under tough conditions. They were among the first area rice growers to invest in the advantage of straight levees, liquid ground fertilizer application and laser leveling. In 1966, Dennis built a family summer home at Little Grass Valley Reservoir in Plumas County, a personal challenge he undertook with his usual tenacity: digging foundation, poring cement, cutting boards, pounding nails, plumbing, wiring, and installing whatever, all to satisfaction of the local county building inspector. In 1997, he formed the Community Foundation of Richvale, a charitable community-driven fund that provides scholarships for local students and funding for needed local services. He was contributor and chairman of the Richvale History Writing Group of 2002-2007, which published Richvale: A Legacy of Courage, Dedication and Perseverance. Dennis also served as a member and chairman of the committee that organized the Richvale Centennial Celebration June 27, 2009. There he was recognized for his many contributions to Richvale with a Community Service Award. He served on the 1981-82 Butte County Grand Jury and two other years on the Butte County Private Industry Council. He also served on the Sacramento Waterfowl Advisory Committee, an ongoing effort to minimize waterfowl depredation in growing rice crops. Dennis has been a Butte County Farm Bureau member since 1945 and a member of the Butte County Rice Growers Association for 78 years, serving on the Board of Directors 15 years, six as President. August 1, 2001, Lundberg Family Farms honored him with the “Outstanding Richvale Citizen of the Twentieth Century” award. He was awarded the 2002 California Rice Industry Award, a lifetime honor for distinguished contributions to the Advancement of the California Rice Industry by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation. In 2003, he garnered the Farm Services Award from the Farm City Committee of Butte County. Dennis is survived by his wife Charlotte; daughter Sherry Lindberg and husband Ed Gilbertson; son Gary Lindberg and wife Linda; Linda’s daughter Dawn and husband Steve Wicklander, and their son, Bryce. No services are planned beyond private burial due to present restrictions. Memorial contributions can be made to the Community Foundation of Richvale c/o Carl Hoff at Bucra, P.O. Box 128, Richvale, CA 95974; the Rice Research Trust, P.O. Box 306, Biggs, CA 95917; or a favorite charity. Arrangements entrusted to Ramsey Funeral Home 530-534-3877.