Evangeline Lindner

Evangeline (Vangie) (Wilson) Lindner passed away on Saturday, August 30th in her home with her family after a long, successful fight against a brutal lung disease. She didn’t sit back and let the disease beat her down. Instead, she climbed and conquered the hills and mountains of the disease with her turtle (what she called her oxygen tank on wheels), never backing down, refusing to complain, and choosing to destroy this infirmity and LIVE. Her family is so proud of her efforts to FIGHT and set an example for all of us with what can be done with the power of God in charge of our lives.

Vangie is survived by her husband of 58 years, Jim Lindner, her son, Jon (Tamala) Lindner, her daughter, Melody (Jeremy) Carpenter, and her son David (Bekki) Lindner. Additionally, Vangie is survived by her grandchildren Megan (Ray) Braden, Curtis (Rachel) Lindner, Caleb Lindner, and Carter Lindner (children of Jon and Tamala), Gabe Carpenter and Claire Carpenter (children of Jeremy and Melody Carpenter), and Hannah, Henry, Harry and Harper Lindner (children of David and Bekki Lindner). Also, Vangie is survived by 7 great grandchildren: Kobi, Kolt, Kyen, Kruze, and Sloan Braden (children of Ray and Megan Braden), and Highland and Hazel Lindner (children of Curtis and Rachel Lindner). Vangie is also survived by her brothers, Victor (Sherri) Wilson of Coopersville, Michigan, and Paul (Laconda) Wilson of Livonia, Michigan.

The family would like to extend an invitation to Vangie’s Celebration of Life on Sunday, September 28th at 3 pm at Trinity Wesleyan Church in Oak Hill, Ohio. The doors will open at 2 pm for fellowship and visitation with the family, and there will be a meal served after the service at the church fellowship hall. Vangie loved Sundays and the color blue, so we hope you can join us wearing her favorite color as we celebrate a life well-lived for the kingdom The family will have a private graveside service prior to the celebration.

Vangie was born on July 17, 1945, in Swaziland, South Africa, the daughter of Ermal and Madgel Wilson. Her parents were serving as missionaries to the people of Swaziland at the time of her birth. Vangie and her family moved back to Frankfort, Indiana in the United States in 1954, when she was 9. She began elementary school, and graduated from Frankfort High School in Frankfort, Indiana in 1963. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Owosso College in 1967. In January of 1967, Vangie lost her mom to a disease contracted on the mission field. But God had a plan, and while in college, Vangie met the love of her life, Jim, at a youth conference, and they married on June 10th, 1967.

In January of 1968, Jim and Vangie left for the mission field in Manaus, Brazil, serving their first term until 1971, when they came back to the United States. While on furlough, their first son, Jon, was born, and then they returned to Brazil for another 3-year term. They returned to the United States in 1975, where they became Assistant Pastors at the Wesleyan Church in Waterloo, Iowa. While there, in 1978, their daughter, Melody, was born. They then moved to Sacramento, California to serve at the Wesleyan Church in Fair Oaks. While there, their third child, David, was born. After a year in Sacramento, they moved to Washington state, and lived there for 2 ½ years. Jim received a call to be the Assistant Pastor at the Jackson Good Shepherd Wesleyan Church in 1981, and he, Vangie, and the kids moved to Jackson in November of 1981, and that has been their home ever since. During that time, they served at three different churches in ministry, impacting many for the Kingdom through their gift of music and training people to defend the faith.

Vangie faithfully worked at Heartland Nursing home in between Jackson and Oak Hill for over 20 years as a nurse’s aide. She chose to work the night shift so she could be home for her children during the day and not miss church. And she NEVER missed church -even when she had been up working the night before. Jim and the kids would encourage her to sleep, and she would say, “I just don’t want to miss the service.”

Vangie was an amazing cook. Her homemade bread, monster cookies, coffee cake, pizza sauce, and turkey gravy were the best around. She taught hundreds of piano students how to play the piano, crocheted dozens of blankets for people around the country, and loved to “bring some bread” to any occasion.

Vangie loved and served her family faithfully. Wife and sweetheart to Jim for 58 years, mother to three, grandmother to 10, and great grandma to seven, she loved her family and prayed for them daily. She was always there with an encouraging word, a Scripture, or a prayer on the spot. Vangie supported Jim faithfully, encouraged him to keep pressing on in the hard times of ministry, and was the true Proverbs 31 woman in Jim’s life. Her prayers and faithfulness are one of the reasons the family is so blessed today. Vangie’s children and grandkids loved her sweet spirit and faithful devotion to their lives, and her influence will long out-live her 80 years.

Vangie used her gifts of music throughout her years of ministry. She played incredible offertories with Jim, sang in the choir, and helped with several dozen significant choir “cantatas” over the years. She played the entire Moonlight Sonata from memory as her senior recital in college. Her clear, soprano voice was unmistakable, her dedication to ministry unquestionable, and her faithfulness to building the Kingdom unshakeable.

Vangie had the gift of listening and SPEAKING LIFE into others. People just found their way to Vangie, seeking her out for words of wisdom, encouragement, and support. She certainly had the gift of listening and encouraging. Vangie was a woman of the Word and had the gift of discernment and wisdom. Her daily dedication to the Lord and her own personal devotional time showed up as fruit in the thousands of lives she touched. She studied her Bible daily, loved reading several daily devotionals, and immersed herself in her daily prayer time for others. We will all need to pick up where she left off, because her life of intercession is unmatched. Vangie was not afraid to share her struggles to encourage others, but make no mistake – she was TOUGH. She didn’t just endure a disease, she destroyed the disease and kept living, pulling her turtle up the hill as she went. Like the Apostle Paul, when it came her time to graduate to heaven, she could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” And now that Vangie has graduated to freedom, she would love for us to take the baton, take our turtle, and climb every mountain with the authority and confidence of a child of the King.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to suggest supporting one of the following groups: Vangie’s Brigade Fight for Air through the American Lung Association: https://action.lung.org/site/Donation2?49980.donation=form1&idb=1072366875&df_id=49980&FR_ID=28398&mfc_pref=T&PROXY_ID=195295&PROXY_TYPE=22 and/or Wesleyan World Missions: https://www.wesleyan.org/gp and/or memorial contributions can be made to Adena Friends of Hospice, 2077 Western Avenue Chillicothe, OH 4560. Online condolences may be sent to www.lewisgillum.com.