Linus "L" Lavel Liddle

L died unexpectedly on July 18, 2022 at home of natural causes. He was born on May 18, 1944 in Fairbank, Iowa.  He was predeceased by his parents, Paul DeWitt Liddle and Ruth Geneva (Mork) Liddle and his sister Sonya Karlene (Liddle) Christianson, all of Iowa.

L attended both Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.

He had a career with the federal government and worked in the (then) Civil Service Commission, the Bureau of the Census, and the US Patent and Trademark Office.  He met his wife, Ann, at the Census Bureau and they were married on March 16, 1974.  L retired in 1995 (as did Ann!).  They enjoyed many years of retirement and travel and tried to stay out of each others way.

L was actively involved in the 1970 Census as a management analyst.  At the PTO, he was instrumental in the development of the Automated Patent System.  He was responsible for digitizing the many thousands of paper patents so they could be searched digitally.  He was a very early member of At Home in Alexandria and served as its first Executive Director at its founding in 2011.  L was a wonderful, and smart man and made friends easily. He loved to cook and was the main family cook for many years, to the envy of Ann’s friends. He also was an avid crossword puzzle doer and finished the NYT and other very hard puzzles in pen regularly. 

L was very proud of the work he did in the making of his home.  Immediately after they were married, L, Ann, and her father, Sam Schneider, renovated, by themselves, a small house in Old Town, Alexandria. It took an entire year. Due to his even temperament, L was an excellent buffer between Ann and Sam.  Five years later, after the shell of a large addition was built, L and Ann spent two years completing the interior of the addition mostly by themselves.

He is survived by his wife Ann, brothers-in-law Michael Schneider of Alexandria, VA and Carleton Christianson of Waukon, IA as well as nephews Jeff Christianson (Pam) and Jerry Christianson (Becky) and niece Paula Decker (Steve) and many great- and great-great-nieces and nephews, all in Iowa and Minnesota.

A visitation and service will be held on Monday, July 25 from 1-4 pm at Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home, 1500 W Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA  22302.  In lieu of flowers, please contribute to At Home in Alexandria or the charity of your choice.

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