John R. Lindahl Sr., 84, former chairman and CEO of State Industries, Ashland City, Tenn., died July 5. He was born in 1922 in Malvern, Ark. His family later relocated to Nashville, where his father, H.W. Lindahl Sr., started an appliance distribution business.
John R. Lindahl Sr. served as a bomber pilot during World War II, flying 64 missions over Africa and Europe. When he returned, he started his own business, making coal-fired stoves in a Nashville garage, with capital provided by his father. The company was established as State Stove and Manufacturing Co. in 1946.