Obituary of Charlotte Lindberg
Charlotte Lindberg
October 12, 1928 – March 19, 2024
Charlotte Lindberg (nee Garaicotchea) was born in Chico, California on October 12, 1928. She was the daughter of Martin Garaicotchea and Grace Irigary Garaicotchea. Both parents immigrated to the United States from the Basque villages of Esterencuby and Baigorry in France. Martin was a shepherd and he and Grace lived and worked on the sheep ranches of northern California. Charlotte, along with her younger sister Betty and younger brother Dominic spent their early years moving from one sheep camp to another.
When Charlotte reached school age, her parents purchased a small home in Oroville, California. She began the first grade speaking no English as Basque was her first language. She remained fluent in Basque throughout her life continuing to speak to her mother and father in their native language. She learned English by listening to her teachers and fellow students. The Garaicotchea family lived a modest life and Charlotte had only one dress to wear to school. She overcame this deficit by learning to sew and soon was making dresses for school. This was a talent she used over the rest of her life making dresses for her daughter Sherry and her mother Grace. And she designed and made Halloween costumes for her children.
As a teenager Charlotte excelled in school in math, English, and art. During the early 1940’s, there were weekly dance events in the Oroville area, most notably at Robinson’s Corner. At one such event, the trumpet player saw Charlotte across the crowded dance floor. His name was Dennis Lindberg and he quickly began to court her. They married in 1945 and celebrated 75 years of marriage before Dennis died in 2020. They had two children early in the marriage, a daughter Sherry and a son Gary.
Charlotte moved to the small town of Richvale with her husband Dennis who was a hard working rice farmer. She was a resourceful homemaker and a young mother. She approached it all with determination. She planned theme birthday parties for her children. She learned to cook all the wild game her husband brought home. She was a den mother for her son’s Cub Scout group. She drew up the plans for the remodel of her home. She drove her children back and forth to church, to dance classes, to piano lessons, to Little League games, to school events. In fact, she became the scorekeeper for the Little League team and hosted the team for end-of-season parties. She also was a major force in the hiring of a French teacher in her children’s high school. She played golf and became quite proficient at the game. She enjoyed summers at the cabin she and her husband built on Little Grass Valley Lake. She was a loyal fan of the San Francisco Giants.
Charlotte accompanied her husband on his many hunting and fishing trips. These forays took them to the remote regions of California, Oregon and Washington as well as the glaciers of Alaska and the mountains of Canada. They also traveled across the United States in their RV, visiting all the major baseball stadiums. The RV also took them to Sturgis, SD where they joined their daughter Sherry and her husband Ed Gilbertson at the annual Sturgis Harley Davidson motorcycle gathering. Dennis joined Charlotte for a trip to France to meet her Basque cousins in the Pyrenees Mountains. Charlotte was proud of her Basque heritage.
Charlotte was very involved in the rice farming business. She drove the bank-out wagon. She hauled rice to the rice dryer. She was a flagger for airplanes dropping seed or fertilizer on the rice fields. She also became the family accountant, handling all the financial aspects of the farm and the household. She was a great cook. Among her specialties were tamale pie, stuffed dove, Swedish rye bread, Swedish potato sausage, Basque sausage, cinnamon rolls, and potato bread rolls. She was a doting caretaker of the family’s many hunting dogs as well as the little dachshund that brought her so much joy.
Charlotte and Dennis moved to Oroville in 1964, purchasing a 1930s era home that required a lot of maintenance. Charlotte learned the basics of plumbing, electrical wiring, wallpapering, and painting. She took a carpentry class and built two oak cabinets. She also went to upholstery school and reupholstered all the furniture in her living and dining rooms. Later in life, she learned to use a computer for e-mail and bookkeeping as well as computer graphics. She created many birthday and Christmas cards for her family and friends.
Charlotte Lindberg had a long, adventurous and meaningful life. She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a good friend to many. She is survived by her son Gary Lindberg (Linda), her daughter Sherry Lindberg (Ed Gilbertson), her sister Betty Senhaux, her brother Dominic Garaicotchea, her step-granddaughter Dawn Wicklander (Steve), her step-great grandson Airman Bryce Wicklander, as well as nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Northwest SPCA and Oroville Rescue Mission
Arrangements entrusted to Ramsey Funeral Home 530-534-3877