John D. Lindstrom - FIS XC official

John Douglas Lindstrom, 84, longtime U.S. cross country representative to FIS, died November 5, 2018 in a tractor accident on his farm in Bonsall, California.

Lindstrom was raised on a dairy farm in Braham, Minnesota, and earned a BS in agriculture at the University of Minnesota in 1957. He then joined the U.S. Navy and became a naval aviator. In 1960 he married Janice Ogren and returned to school to earn his MS in agricultural economics – then, in 1961, joined Delta Airlines. He retired in 1994 after flying more than 25,000 hours for Delta and 10,000 hours in the Naval Reserve. In 1989 the couple moved to Bonsall, California and turned six acres of barren land into a productive avocado grove.

Lindstrom was a keen cross-country racer and officiated the cross-country events at the 1980 Lake Placid and 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. In addition to his work for FIS, he served on the board of directors for the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame. He was a certified alpine skiing instructor and founded the Delta Air Lines Ski Club.

He is survived by his wife, daughters Jana, Jill and Jodie, brother Devore, seven grandchildren, one great-grandchild.