Carl M. Johnson

WEBSTER- Carl Johnson 90, of Webster, died Friday, March 6, 2009 at the Bethesda Home , Webster. His funeral will be 10:30 A.M. Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at the American Lutheran Church, Webster, Rev. Jan FitzGibbon officiating. Burial at the New Sweden Cemetery, Holmquist, S.D. Visitation will be Monday 5-8 P.M. at Fiksdal Funeral Chapel in Webster and prior to services Tuesday. (fiksdalfuneral.com). Carl M. Johnson was born on Tuesday, January 28, 1919 on a farm north of Webster, SD to Mandus and Amanda (Gustafson) Johnson. He was baptized at the American Lutheran Church in Webster and confirmed at the Bristol Immanuel Lutheran church. Most of his early years were spent on a farm northwest of Holmquist with his parents and six brothers and sisters. His father was injured when Carl graduated eighth grade so he left school to assume the responsibilities of the farm. In the late 1930s Carl rode a freight train west to Washington to find work and worked on the construction of the Coulee Dam. He returned to South Dakota, but the following year he and a friend again took a freight train west, settling in Sacramento. He found work milking cows, farming and working in a gold mine. He loved telling the stories of that time of his life and sharing his experiences. Carl joined the Army in August of 1942 and was a veteran of WWII, stationed in Guadalcanal. On April 9, 1944 Carl married Julaine Bratager at Sacramento, California. They lived in Lawton, Oklahoma returning to South Dakota when Carl was discharged. They bought the farm south of Holmquist in 1949 where his son, Dennis, still resides. In 1976 they built their home in Holmquist. Julaine passed away in December 1991. Carl lived in Holmquist until 2005 when he moved to Heritage Village in Webster. In addition to farming, Carl was a licensed electrician and for a number of years spent the winters wiring and plumbing houses around the Bristol area. Carl loved to go for drives and would often point out farms where he had installed electrical wiring. He was an avid collector of antique tractors and one of the founders of the Museum of Wildlife, Science and Industry in Webster. He belonged to the James Valley Threshing Association and drove his favorite tractor, the Rumley, in the parade just this past September. After Carl retired he spent a number of winters in Hemet, California and became a golfer. He played hundreds of golf courses while traveling. Carl served many years on the board for the Farmers Elevator in Holmquist, and was a member of the American Lutheran Church, the American Legion and the Bristol VFW. Carl passed away on March 6, 2009 at the Bethesda Home in Webster, six weeks after celebrating his ninetieth birthday. Grateful for having shared in his life are his daughter, Rita Johnson & her husband Jim Mumford of Holmquist, SD;a son, Dennis Johnson (and special friend, Sherry Markve) of Holmquist, SD; five grandchildren: Brian and Donna Johnson, Cindy and Tim Finch; Aaron and Sara Johnson, Matt and Melanie Johnson, and Ben and Nicole Johnson; ten great-grandchildren and family friend, Mike Harms. He was preceded in death by his wife, Julaine, a son, Roger, daughters-in-law Linda (Schmig) Johnson and Kris (Lundeen) Johnson, three brothers and four sisters.