Dr. Sylvia Marie Lindemann passed away suddenly on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2019.
Sylvia was born to Clarence and Margaret (Sikes) Hammerness on December 30, 1931 in Washington, DC. She graduated from Teaneck High School in 1949 and went on to college at Trenton State and Concordia Teacher’s College in River Forest, IL.
Sylvia married Rev. Ralph Lindemann of Pompton Lakes, NJ on June 25, 1955. Together they designed and built the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Pompton Lakes where they served together for many decades while raising their family. Sylvia lived out her faith in her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and was a faithful example to her children and those around her. Family meant everything to her. Many happy family memories were made during summers at the shore in Cape May, NJ at her parent’s home.
One of Sylvia’s passions was music. She was skilled in both the piano and the pipe organ and shared her gifts as a church organist and choir director to the glory of God. Sylvia was a talented artist and loved to paint.
Sylvia also loved to learn and study. She valued education and passed that on to her children. Professionally, she earned multiple degrees from Concordia University (River Forest, IL), Paterson State Univerity (NJ), and Columbia University (NY). She was a teacher, a Reading Specialist, a psychologist, a Special Education Diagnostician, a Special Education administrator, and an active advocate for Special Needs children and families. Sylvia devoted her life to serving others.
Sylvia is survived and missed by her family she cherished so dearly: her brother, Richard Hammerness of College Station, TX, her children: Christopher, Mary, Timothy (Andrea), Daniel (Cynthia), Michael, and John (Stacey); and her grandchildren: Alexandra, Anna, Benjamin, Anne Marie, Kayla, Connor, and Julia. Sylvia is joyfully reunited through death with her husband, Ralph, her parents, Clarence and Margaret, and her daughter-in-law, Jeanne.
There will be a service to celebrate Sylvia’s entrance into her eternal Home at First Lutheran Church of Glasgow, Montana followed by internment beside her parents at Highland Cemetery in the Hammerness family plot.
“And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:11