Article Published: Friday, June 17, 2005
Long Beach's glow just a little dimmer
By Doug Krikorian, Columnist Long Beach Press Telegram

Optimism would permeate the atmosphere.
When you listen to people discuss her, you keep hearing the same words that forever will be linked to her legacy - sweet, nice, loving, giving, spirited, charismatic, delightful, obliging, pleasing and gracious.
By the sheer force of her genial personality and many charitable deeds, Lindsay Chaffee became a fixture in this city across the years from her labors as a starter at Skylinks and Recreation Park and duties as a coordinator of such events as the Long Beach Open, the Long Beach Golf Festival and the Jamie Mulligan Golf Camp.
Those in the local golfing community are mourning her death from a brain aneurysm at age 53, but they certainly aren't the only ones feeling sorrowful.
The entire community is grieving about the sudden loss of one of its brightest jewels whose positive, uplifting disposition and bright smile left a lasting impact on those fortunate to have known her.
"Lindsay was just the best person," says attorney Bob Edmondson, a longtime friend of Lindsay and her brother, Steve Folger. "She always was happy. She never said anything bad about anybody. And she always was there to help if you needed it."
"She was an absolute sweetheart that was taken too young," says Mark Edmondson, Bob's younger brother who was in the same 1970 graduating class at Millikan High School as Lindsay.
"Lindsay was one of those rarest of human beings who you'd never, ever hear anyone say anything bad about," says Denny Lund, owner of Schooner Or Later and Tantalum. "She was a joy to be around."
"She was just so very, very nice and sweet," says John Morris, the Pine Avenue restaurant pioneer. "I remember when I had Mum's, and she would come down and watch her son Nic(cq) play in the jazz band on the patio. You'd never see a prouder mother. I remember her just sitting there with that smile that always seemed to be a permanent part of her face."
"Everyone around here still is in a state of shock over her passing," says Ian Ezuelo, assistant general manager of Big Rec. "She was good to everyone, and very popular. Everyone loved her."
She was born Lindsay Folger, and her parents, Bob and Nancy Folger, were skiers and sports fanatics, and it was inevitable that she would become a regular on the slopes and also an avid follower of all the Southern California athletic teams.
In 1977, she won a Dodger pitching trivia contest staged by KABC radio, and it earned her a spot in a home-run hitting contest at Dodger Stadium.
"They put up a makeshift fence in the outfield, and Lindsay competed in the contest against some men," recalls Steve Folger. "Well, she managed to hit a home run, and the Dodger players in the dugout gave her an ovation. A guy who was about twice as big as her wound up winning the contest, but when he received his trophy at home plate the Dodger players booed him and yelled for Lindsay. It was just great."
Steve Folger is heartbroken these hours, as is Bob Chaffee, Lindsay's husband of 27 years, as is son Nic, as is everyone who came in contact with the special lady with the dynamic persona.
"I was very close to her," says Folger, owner of Long Beach Trophy. "I just can't believe what's happened. It's hard to accept. She was so healthy. She was so full of life. They tell me she was training for a triathlon and swimming 115 laps daily."
The cycle of life - births and deaths - is a presence in every family, but it has been too much of a presence for the Folgers in recent times.
Bob Folger passed away last year, Nancy Folger passed away in 2001, and now comes the unexpected departure of Lindsay.
"It's been tough," says Steve Folger. "There's no way you can prepare for the passing of your parents, and now this happens. I'm going to miss her so much. I think back to those 25 years our family had season tickets for Long Beach State basketball games, and how Lindsay would never miss a game. She was there for all those games at the Gold Mine and then at the Pyramid. She loved sports. But, most of all, she loved life."
Funeral services for Lindsay Chaffee will be held this morning at 10:30 at St. Cornelius Catholic Church in Long Beach, and a reception will follow at Meadowlark Golf Course in Huntington Beach. ..