By Bruce Karnick

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In 1964, in the middle of his thirties, Lew Linde was a founding member of the United Way of Hastings. In 2014, he was honored with the Legacy Award at their 50-year gala. At the time, Linde was asked by UWH to describe himself in 10 words or less, he replied: “Working for the poor, disadvantaged and broken hearted.”

As you learn about the impact that Lew Linde had on the Hastings Community, you’ll quickly realize just how true those words are.

Linde grew up in Cyrus, MN, about an hour and a half drive due west from St. Cloud and roughly a threehour drive from Hastings. In 1928 when Linde was born, the population of Cyrus was about 300 people and as of the 2010 census, it is still about that. Linde’s father was a doctor, and his mother was a schoolteacher. He lived through World War II and was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1949. He acquired his Bachelor’s Degree in 1953 from Concordia College – Moorhead and finished his master’s in social work in 1957 at Indiana University.

The degree required that he work in a state hospital for two years after graduating, which led Linde to Hastings, to work at the state hospital. His intention was to be here for a few years and move on. Thankfully for Hastings, Linde stayed, perhaps because his work at the state hospital ended up completing more than his college degree requirements. It is also where he met his late wife Marcella, who was a psychiatric nurse there. When Linde met Marcella, she had three children from a previous marriage. Eventually, Linde would legally adopt those three and the pair would have two more of their own. Those five kids led to eight grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

While working at the state hospital, he began attending William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. He graduated and was admitted to the Bar in 1960. Shortly after he went to work for the Minnesota Departments of Public Welfare and Corrections, where he would spend most of his career.

In the 60’s, Linde became acquainted with Dawn Beedle, a resident that, along with two other women, started a small operation in her basement to help school kids that were going without proper clothes and food in Hastings.

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In 1970, Linde helped with the legal documentation to form what is now Hastings Family Service. What was once a basement operation started by three people is now an organization with an annual budget of over $1 million, a fact he was extremely proud of.

Linde was a champion for so many, but especially families, women and victims of domestic assault. He did years of pro-bono legal work through Dakota County legal assistance into his 80’s, supported the Lewis House, worked tirelessly for the United Way and Hastings Family Service. Linde had such a large impact on the Hastings Community that the Hastings City Council proclaimed May 5th, 2008 as Lew Linde Day in the City of Hastings.

There is no possible way to honor the impact Linde had on the Hastings community better than sharing words from people that were directly involved with him.

“Lew had a kind soul and deeply cared about helping those that were less fortunate. Involved in many community groups and activities, yet Lew made time for his other important roles as father and husband. Lew wrote about his journey with the love of his life, Marcella, after her passing. I recall how he always talked fondly of his children and late wife.” – Mari Mellick, CAE – Executive Director of UWH “At the 2014 UWH 50th Anniversary Gala I got an outstanding volunteer award and was seated at Lew’s table since he was being honored for establishing the UWH in 1964 with the principle of neighbors helping neighbors! Just that sentence. I was stunned to get seated at a table with a true legend while I was just a girl who liked to help others. In the words of Wayne and Garth… I’m not worthy is all that came through my head! ha ha That night we talked a lot about community and the meaning of helping people. It was a night I will never forget. It was a true honor being at the same table with a person who had done some much, touched so many lives, and truly made the Hastings Community a better place” – Amy Schaffer UWH Volunteer.

“COVID took an amazing friend of mine. I am heartbroken. Anything I write will not be able to do such a wonderful person justice, but I have to try. As we see the Department of Health report COVID numbers each day, we need to remember that each of those numbers is a person. They each have a story and people who love them. Lew was so much more than a number. He was my friend. I met Lew when I was running for School Board. He was one of three men that were members of AAUW, the group who was hosting my first candidate forum. After the event, Lew came up to me, asked me a few questions, and donated to my campaign. He believed in me and wanted to see me succeed. We became quick friends and my kids loved him. Lew was the first person in Hastings to make a donation to one of my campaigns. When I held my kick-off party for state house at Spiral Brewery, Lew didn’t plan on coming. His mother had been very involved in prohibition, and Lew never went into alcoholic establishments. And yet, when the day of the event came, he was there beaming. It meant the world to me and it was one of the highlights of the night. As he told me, ‘[he] wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’ I spent the last few years getting to know Lew and learning about his amazing life. It was truly an honor to have his support and to consider him a friend. Lew was 92 years old and he was devoted to service and to this community. Lew was one of the founders of Hastings Family Service and he spent his time providing battered women pro-bono legal work. In July, he was recognized by the MN Supreme Court Chief Justice Gildea for his lifetime commitment to social justice and service. Lew was truly a great man who has had a lasting impact on our community. He will be dearly missed by many. Thank you for your friendship Lew.” – Kelsy Waits, Hastings School Board “My heart is broken. COVID claimed a great man yesterday and words cannot express what a privilege it was to call him my friend and the impact he had on my life. Lew Linde was one of our founders at Hastings Family Service and one of the first people I met with when I joined the staff over 11 years ago. We connected immediately over our shared Norwegian heritage and our love of college hoodies! We enjoyed many lunches- our favorite on a nice day was a Legion burger by the river and we talked about HFS; his trips to Norway and the papers he presented there; his health and what an asset the YMCA is for seniors in the community; his work as a women’s advocate- Lew was active in and supported many women’s organizations- we had an annual date to the Planned Parenthood appreciation luncheon where he insisted on driving me until just a couple years ago and then always insisted on opening the door… he always asked about my girls and they enjoyed getting to know him; he spoke often of his beloved Marcella and he was so proud of his kids. I always looked forward to time with Lew because if you were really listening, you always learned something. I will miss his laugh. I lost both of my parents in my first few years at HFS and Lew became that person who I looked up to, who encouraged me and frequently expressed appreciation for my work at HFS, who inspired me by his example of vision, compassion and humanity. I’m grateful his family asked me to speak at his 90th birthday, giving me the opportunity to tell him that day that mine is one of the lives changed forever because of his efforts to start HFS and serve the community. Park Ridge hosted a fund drive for HFS in July and I got to visit to thank them and presented Lew with his 50th anniversary HFS shirt. We spoke on the phone often, but I had no idea that would be the last time we’d be together. He was 92 years old and lived every one of those years productively and with purpose. His legacy of advocacy and community service will have a continued impact. Thank you, Lew,- you were very special to me and the world is so much better because you were here. I will miss you.” – Amy Sutton, Hastings Family Service.