Ralph Lindley Jr.

Fitchburg - Ralph William Lindley, 83, of Fitchburg, WI., beloved husband of Audrey (Schmidt) Lindley for 63 years, passed away peacefully surrounded by the ones he laughed with, lived for and loved, on Wednesday, June 8th, 2016.

Ralph William (Bill) Lindley was born in Chicago, IL on June 26, 1932 to Ralph and Laura (Lingley) Lindley. He joined the U.S. Navy at age 18 and served 4 years' active duty in Hawaii as an aircraft mechanic. When he was discharged from the Navy, he returned to the Chicago area to marry Audrey and raise a family. They moved to Florida, where Bill attended the University of Miami, and eventually worked for the Florida State Road Department.

Upon returning to the Chicago area, he worked for the village of Homewood, and later the village of Hinsdale as the city engineer. He then worked for a large engineering firm in Chicago, and made plans to start his own consulting practice. In the late 1960's he started Lindley & Sons, Inc., a civil engineering firm recognized for its expertise in storm water management. He also re-enlisted in the Navy and went on to serve for over 27 years in the Naval Reserve eventually attaining the rank of Commander. He also served as a volunteer fireman with the Hinsdale, IL fire department and became a fellow with the American Society of Civil Engineers. He attended and served Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Naperville for many years.

For those that knew him well, he was and will always be remembered as the ultimate civil engineer and someone who loved doing things for others. He enjoyed shooting skeet, and would go shooting often at a local gun club and at various locations across the country.
Eventually moving to Fitchburg, WI, Bill focused his free time making intricate leather goods. He defined himself by his work, and started a program at the assisted living facility to make custom leather goods for the "Employee of the Month". He also assembled frames and foundations for his son, who is a beekeeper.

Besides his wife Audrey, Bill is survived by his brother John (Dawn) Lindley, his two sons, Timothy (Anna) Lindley of Greenville, IL and Thomas (Karen) Lindley of Fitchburg, WI and two daughters Janelle (Mitch) Doughty of Lincoln, NE and Jeanne Lindley of Sturgeon, MO. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Christopher, Elizabeth, William, Caleb, Sarah, and Brandon. He also has 4 great-grandchildren, Colton, Josiah, Willow and Rhys.

He was preceded in death by his dearly loved son, David Paul, his parents, Ralph and Laura Lindley, and his sister, Mariana Berglund.

The family would like to thank all the members of the local medical community and the wonderful staff at the Waterford in Fitchburg and Agrace Hospice for their loving care of Bill. We thank God for the gift of his life and the blessing of the time we were all able to spend with him.

Family and friends may visit at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Rd, Madison on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Celebration of Life service at 11 a.m. A reception will follow at Cress and Bill will be laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations to the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association http://www.seabee.org/, or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation https://www.cff.org/.


Cress Funeral and Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road
Madison, WI 53705
608-238-3434