SAINT PETER, Minn. – Willie Lindquist, the longtime equipment manager of Gustavus Athletics, passed away on Sunday, March 26 at the age of 90. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 1 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church. Visitation will be Friday, March 31 from 4-7 p.m. at St. Peter Funeral Home and will continue one hour prior to the service at church.
Lindquist, more affectionately known as “Willie,” was inducted into the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002 after officially serving as the equipment manager from 1963 to 1998. Willie was a fixture at the College for the past 80 years, first hanging around with his father, Albert, who was the custodian of the old gymnasium from 1942 to 1965. Willie was filling in for his father, who was recovering from surgery in early 1963, when Athletics Director Lloyd Hollingsworth convinced Willie to stay on to fill the new equipment manager position. It was several more years before Willie talked Holly into producing a written job description, and in those years, he would define his own job.
Willie’s responsibilities included the maintenance, repair, and dispersal of all athletic equipment and the overall care of the athletic facilities. Initially, he took care of Myrum Memorial Fieldhouse and later Lund Center, and he performed his tasks with an amazing work ethic and dedication. In addition, he lined the football, soccer, baseball, softball, and intramural fields – tasks that started as a favor for Don Roberts when Roberts was coaching football in the mid-’60s.
Along the way, Willie became an icon, one of those people everyone knew by a single name. He was an integral part of every Gustie team he was involved with. He treated coaches and players like they were his own family, and they responded in kind.
A lifelong resident of Saint Peter, Willie remained one of the College’s greatest fans after retirement, missing very few home athletics events up until his passing. Willie always had his spot to watch the games, whether it was standing at the railing near the entrance to the Lund Forum for basketball games or sitting in his lawn chair at the top of the grandstand for football games, Willie was there to greet everyone he knew with a smile on his face and to cheer on his beloved Gusties.
Willie, a widower, is survived by his daughter, Angela, one brother, four sisters, four granddaughters, two grandsons, eight great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.