Craig Lindvahl Dies at Age 62

(CRAIG LINDVAHL SPOKE AT THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER OBSERVANCE IN EFFINGHAM IN MAY)

When Craig Lindvahl announced his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, it was thought it might be a matter of weeks, perhaps months, before he died. Instead, it was four years.

Lindvahl died peacefully at home early Thursday afternoon. He was 62 years old. Funeral arrangements for Lindvahl are located here.

Lindvahl was many things; a film producer, author, musician but, above all, he was an educator.

Craig grew up in Taylorville, where he met his wife, Beth. He said from the first time he saw her, he knew Beth was the one for him. He called Beth his "lifemate".

Lindvahl taught in the Teutopolis school district for 30 years, as did Beth. He eventually began working with Effingham High School educator Joe Fatheree on a multi-media class that involved students from both school districts. There were the AHA Film Festivals, and events where filmmakers and others in the media came to Effingham County and exposed students to world-class instruction without ever leaving home.

Unless they wanted to broaden their horizons in the business world. Young people left because they didn't see opportunities at home. Then, along came CEO. 

Members of the Effingham County business community tired of seeing the best and the brightest leave for what they believed were greener pastures. That led to an effort to raise pledges from local businesses to finance CEO...Creating Enterpreneurial Opporunities...where members of the business community would help instruct young people in starting their own businesses. The young people learned that they could generate business opportunities at home.

CEO began to spread and has expanded to several states. There are trade shows and other events to share about CEO.

Someone needed to teach the course, though; that fell to Lindvahl. He said in the early days that he didn't know how to teach the course, and that he and the students would learn together. They did.

Lindvahl was a great music instructor for many years. He won numerous Mid-America EMMY Awards for writing, scoring, production and other aspects of film production. He, or he and Fatheree, delved into history, basketball, baseball, barns, in putting together movies. One production, "An Uphill Climb", detailed the life of Effingham's Kyle Packer and, even though he is physically challenged, his efforts to climb a mountain. Lindvahl's lifelong love of baseball led to a production about a farm club in the lower minors of the Cincinnati Reds. It led a relationship with the Reds that endures; the CEO Class annually concludes its school year with a trip to Cincinnati to tour the Great American Ball Park.

Craig and Beth Lindvahl had no children; but they actually had hundreds of kids, the children they taught and molded to be all they could be. As his motto goes: "Who will be better because of what I do today."