Lillian Jane Lindeman

Lillian Jane Lindeman was born to Michael Kashmerick and Anna Kotulis in Detroit , Michigan on June 26, 1935. She was the youngest child and the only girl.

As a child, Lillian was both smart and athletic. Her family spent every summer at their lake cottage and Mom spent countless hours swimming, boating, and playing badminton. She was a talented artist (though she wouldn’t admit it) and a gifted teacher.

In the 6th grade, Lillian met a boy named Roger and they began what was to be a lifelong relationship full of good natured competition. They attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit, where Mom was an art major and a straight A student. Then it was off to undergraduate college at Wayne State University, where she changed her major to special education and graduated with honors.

It was also during college that Lillian became a Christian. Raised in a Catholic family, something felt missing and she began seeking a closer relationship with God. It was at a Billy Graham crusade that Lillian accepted Jesus as her Savior.

On August 22, 1958, she married her grade school friend and long time sweetheart, Roger Charles Lindeman. A year and a half later, their first child was born (ME!).

At that point, Lillian selflessly put aside her teaching career to be a stay-at-home Mom and to support Roger in pursuing his medical career. Thus began a series of moves all over the United States. Dad’s internship and general surgery training took us to Denver, CO, where Mom gave birth to her 2nd child, Brian Lindeman. Next stop: Boston for Dad’s residency, where Kevin Lindeman was born.

Just when we thought we could settle down, the army created one more move. With three young children, Mom packed up yet again and we landed in Pennsylvania for Dad’s two-year stint as a surgeon in the army.

At last, in 1968, upon completion of his military service, Dad moved us to Seattle, WA to join the Mason Clinic and the Virginia Mason Medical Center. As Dad’s career flourished, Mom was always at his side, whether it be planning huge parties at our Mercer Island home or traveling to various medical conventions. She was the “wizard behind the curtain” holding our home together, making sure we all got to school functions, tennis matches, soccer games, and weekend ski buses all through our school years.

The Seattle area was truly home for our family and we have never left. We spent many great family vacations and weekends at our cabin on Sequim Bay, hiking in the Olympics, exploring Dungeness Spit, digging clams on the beach. Lillian loved Sequim and was constantly getting us outside when, as teenagers, we just wanted to watch tv! Her years at the Michigan cottage came back full circle when we acquired a 14’ motor boat to putter around the Bay. Whether it was running aground on the sandbar at low tide, or letting the rope slip and watching the boat float away at the boat ramp, the adventures were many!

Despite a lack of “free” time while raising three kids, Lillian had many interests and talents. She was an avid tennis player at the Mercer Island Country club and taught us all to play. She loved music and learned to play classical guitar, passing that love on to all three of us kids. Her artistic talents were almost unlimited, from drawing and painting to Ukrainian Egg Dying, ceramics to jewelry making. She taught me to sew, crochet and, of course, knit, which I loved so much that I went on to own two different yarn shops!

The years went by and my brother, Brian, had three sons: Jason, Erik, and Scott. These boys (now amazing young men) became the light of their Grandma’s life! She was able to help care for them when they were small so their parents could go back to work, and that brought her great joy. Her joy was even greater when Charlotte Reese Lindeman, her first great-grandchild, was born to Jason & Sarah Lindeman two years ago.

Our Mom was the ultimate example of living a Christian life. She was humble and generous with her family, friends, and I would say strangers, except anyone who met Lillian was not a stranger for long! She loved getting to know people and could do so instantly. Our friend, Mike Rona, summed it up perfectly: Lillian was a remarkable person: bright, classy, funny, loving, and understanding, and she will be missed.”

God called her home on September 18, 2022 at the age of 87, but she will always be in our hearts.