Evie Johnson, 95
Evelyn Victoria Johnson, 95, was born in Poppleton Township to Emil and Gina Johnson May 14, 1921 and went to be with her Lord Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2016.
She attended Excelsior School through 8th grade and then graduated from high school in Lancaster, Minn., in 1942. Evie attended Northwestern Bible College, Minneapolis, Minn. She was employed at the J.W. Thomas store and Greyhound Bus Lines. both Minneapolis. Returning home to the local area, Evelyn was employed at the Kittson County Hospital, Hallock, Minn., for a year and a half prior to marrying Raymond W. Johnson in 1947, son of Mandie and Ida Johnson.
Ray and Evelyn made their home on the farm in Jupiter Township until they moved into an apartment in Hallock in the fall of 1996.
Bonnie Rae (Reuben) Gorden was born in 1949 and in 1960 Hope Ann (Dwight) Scoles was welcomed into the Johnson family. Ray and Evie had three grandchildren, Elizabeth (Paul) Valley (Elizabeth deceased), Heather (Edward) Moorse, and David Gorden. The great grandchildren include Alexander, Evan, Kody, McKenna and Mason Moorse. Family extended to all of her nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. As the very last in the family of her generation, we will all miss her dearly.
Evelyn was a member of the Lake Bronson Covenant Church, where she taught Sunday School for over 50 years. She also taught Bible School and was chair woman of Covenant Women for many years. She sang soprano in the church choir and often sang duets for special music and funerals throughout the area.
In her later years, Evelyn became a member of the Lancaster Covenant Church. Evelyn was a faithful volunteer throughout the community her entire life. She enjoyed being a member of the Golden Age Singers. She never tired of entertaining friends and family with parties and loved to bake bread and Swedish treats like lefsa and hardtack. She maintained her tradition of coffee parties for as long as she lived independently, treating a varied group of friends to “a little lunch”.
Evie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Raymond, her parents, two infant sons, Loren and Curtis, brother Victor Johnson, three brothers who died in infancy, (Alfred, Lloyd and Clifford Johnson), granddaughter Elizabeth Valley, three sisters-in-laws: Edna Vagle, Lucille Johnson, and Phyllis Johnson and brother-in-law, Morris Johnson, nephew Marshall Vagle and niece Judy Inglis and lifelong best friend, Amy Erlandson.
Funeral services were held Friday, Dec. 30, 2016 at 2 p.m. in the Lancaster Covenant Church, Lancaster. Interment services will be held next spring in Riverside Cemetery, Lake Bronson. Rev Galen Nordin, presiding; special music provided by the Popple Ridge Pickers.
Casket bearers will be Ken Johnson, Earl Mattson, Ron Peterson, Dan Vagle, Erik Finney and Don Hostrup. Honorary casket bearers will be David Anderson, Gordon and Kathy Bernstrom, Ron Fossell, Brad Inglis, Bryan Inglis, Gary Inglis, Bob Johnson, Jeannie Johnson, Laurel Johnson, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Johnson, Bob and Idha Jaszczak, Lynnae Joy Landin and Lars Landin, Lynn Mattson, Charlotta Mattson, Vanessa Mattson, Mandy and Abhay Rawal.
Austin Funeral Home, Hallock, is in charge of arrangements. (www.austin funeralchapel.com)
