- James Johnson
The dear man we knew and loved and called “Jim” “Dad” “Uncle” or “Grandpa” was born James
Emmet Johnson on February 9, 1932 in Leeds, North Dakota. He passed away on January 31,
2010 in Mesa, Arizona, just short of his 78th birthday. His parents were Gehrhard and Jennie
(Ericksmoen) Johnson. He grew up with one older sister, and two younger brothers. Most of his
boyhood years were spent in Leeds with the exception of several years when the family lived in
Vancouver, WA, where his father worked at Boeing during the war.
Jim’s high school education was cut short when he joined the National Guard and was stationed at
Camp Rucker in Alabama. After the service, he worked on farms in the Leeds area until he took a
job with Montana Dakota Utilities (MDU) where he started as a lineman and ultimately worked for 41
years. He loved his job, was very good at it, and was at least somewhat reluctant to leave when it
was time to retire.
- Jim was married to Lorna Hanson from 1958 until 1986. During this time they raised their three
children, David James, Eric Omer, and Amy Lorene. They lived primarily in Plentywood, MT.
On September 5, 1987, Jim married Marie Nelson. During their twenty-two year marriage, Jim and Marie enjoyed traveling and visited
many interesting places, including Hawaii and numerous national parks. They also enjoyed visiting the members of their combined
families. Although Jim did not have grandchildren of his own, he often noted that on the day he said “I DO” he became the grandfather of
five. Three more eventually joined the bunch. He welcomed Marie’s family into his life with open arms, and genuinely enjoyed his role
as Grandpa.
For many years, Jim and Marie spent their winters in Arizona. Two of those years were in North Phoenix and the rest were in Apache
Junction.
Jim, along with Marie, was a devoted member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. They were active members both in Apache Junction
and Plentywood, Montana, and Jim particularly enjoyed serving as a deacon and doing maintenance.
Among Jim’s survivors are his wife, Marie, his sons, David and Eric, and his daughter, Amy. He is also survived by his sister Nina and
her husband Vince Grady, his brothers Gordon and Roger and Gordon’s wife Della as well as many nieces and nephews. Jim’s
stepfamily also survives him. Stepchildren Kathy and her husband Dan Webster, Tammi and her husband Gary Hallock, Lorri and her
husband Darryl Hustwaite. His grandchildren Brooke and her husband Chad Bigelow; Katie and Tyler Webster and his wife Sophia;
Ryan, McKenna, and Erik-Scott Lunsford; Nicholas and Ashleigh Hustwaite and two great-grandchildren Emery and Chandlar Bigelow.
Emery and Chandlar are expecting another brother to arrive the end of February.
Jim was a kind, friendly, generous, and fun-loving man who will be missed by his family and by a multitude of friends. He was such a
nice man that if he did have any enemies, they would miss him too!
Cremation has taken place, with Memorial Services held at 2:00 PM Tuesday, February 2 at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Apache
Junction. Memorial services in Plentywood will be announced later in the spring. Cards may be left at Fulkerson’s in Plentywood.
| 1932 - 2010 |
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Remembering James