Ralph Donald Lindsey (Don) left this world quietly on Monday November 24,2025 after 4 days on hospice care at Homewood.  He was the husband of Shirley (Smith) Lindsey- they shared 71 years of loving marriage.  Born in Washington DC on October 2, 1932, he was the son of Ralph and Elizabeth (Cox) Lindsey.

Don graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in 1950 and the University of Maryland in 1954 as an Animal Husbandry major. During his college years he played for the Washington Redskins….band (trombone). He was drafted and served in the US Army at Fort Rucker Alabama from 1955 to 1957, eventually trading in his Browning Automatic Rifle  for the trombone when reassigned to the post band. Afterwards, Don and Shirley bought a farm in Adams County where they lived briefly, then rented it out for many years as his job with the Soil Conservation Service took them all over the state.  They moved to Wellsboro PA in 1963 and made a home there until 1987, making friends wherever they went. Don worked with farmers to improve soil and water quality, and on rural abandoned strip mine improvement. His final post brought them back to Adams County as the District Conservationist, and back to that first farm. Don made important contributions to science and engineering including legendary work on hair loss in beavers and raising awareness of the dangerous impact of concrete peckers on American infrastructure.

Don brightened the lives of all who met him with his exceptional warmth and humor.  He excelled at engaging everyone he met in conversation and was gifted in his ability to make everyone feel that he really truly cared about them. He was a story teller of true creativity, entertaining and uplifting in every crowd- at work, at home, and in the world at-large. He remained in regular contact with friends made in elementary school and throughout his life.

Don was a talented wood worker and a lifetime member of the Methodist church. He sang in many choirs and choruses, and loved camping with his family, traveling with Shirley, reading, playing cards with friends, the Pumpkin Festival, creatively fixing and building things, and learning. Don volunteered for years at the Union Mills Homestead as the colonial carpenter, using antique tools to build furniture and toys. He supported and encouraged his family in education, travel, and trying new things. He loved animals of all kinds, particularly cows and dogs.

Don is survived by his wife Shirley, sons Scott (Joyce) and Bruce (Doris), daughter Julie (Ed), 10 grandchildren (Katie, Colin (Liz), Caleb (Yoshimi), Josh, Ross (Emily), Logan, Quinn, Christopher (Kera), Kurt (Abbie), and Emily (Ben)) and 11 great grandchildren. His long-suffering sisters Sandra, Betty Ruth and Nita, will be teased no more. He was preceded in death by a sister, Shirley, and a brother, Dan.

Those of us who knew him were extraordinarily lucky to have him with us for so long. His brilliant smile, joyful laughter and sense of humor will be deeply missed. A memorial gathering will be held at the Community Center at Homewood, 100 Homewood Way, Hanover PA, on Sunday January 18 from 2:30 until 4 PM.

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