Helen A. Johnson, 91
Helen A. Johnson, 91, went to be with her Lord Jesus Christ and all His glory on Monday, Sept. 15, 2008, in Sandpoint, Idaho.
Memorial services will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint with Pastor Steve Nickodemus of Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church officiating. A reception will follow at the Lakeview Funeral Home reception area.
Helen was born on Nov. 18, 1916, to Dan and Amelia Zaklan at their farm in the Oden-Sunnyside area. This birth was exceptional because the only people present were mother and daughter. Both of Helen's parents emigrated here from Yugoslavia in the early 1900s. She grew up on the farm with her nine other siblings and two best friends Evelyn French and Ethel Johnson.
Attending high school during the depression was difficult for farm families and eventually her father pulled her out of school to help with chores and raise her younger siblings. Although she only graduated from the old Oden School, she became a prolific reader all her life. She spoke both Yugoslavian and English.
From 1937-1939 she and Ethel worked on a dude ranch in Seeley Lake, Mont. During the early part of World War II she came back to Sandpoint to work at J.C. Penny's and help Evelyn run her restaurant. Later in the war she worked in the Spokane Army Depot supporting troops in Europe and the Pacific.
At war's end she started dating her neighbor and childhood friend Herb Johnson who had just returned from Japan as a prisoner of war. Herb and Helen were married in Libby, Mont., on June 1, 1946. Herb's Air Force career took them to Tucson, Ariz., where all three of her children were born and later to Plattsburg, N.Y.
Helen's family all returned to Sandpoint in 1960 upon Herb's retirement.
Helen was a loving mother who instilled the virtues of hard work and Christian principles in her children. She was an encourager, a giver and servant to many. She considered others more important that herself. Her passions were nutrition, gardening and sharing the fruits of her labors with family and friends.
She loved reading her Bible, picking huckleberries, and swimming in Lake Pend Oreille on hot summer days. She was active in the First Presbyterian Church, The Gideons, and the American Legion Women's Auxiliary.
She welcomed all visitors to her home and provided many wonderful meals, always followed by a walk around the Syringa Heights Loop. Her energy level was amazing even in her final years. She always had a beautiful smile.
On the night before her passing, she carefully packed a small bag of personal belongings and announced that Herb was coming the next day to pick her up, she placed it beside her bed and never woke up. We know they're enjoying a second honeymoon after seven years apart. God bless them both.
She is survived by two sons, Gary (wife Diane) and Bruce (and wife Janie) Johnson, all from Sandpoint; a daughter, Susan (Bill) Reed of Seattle; a brother, Stanley, of Portland; two sisters, Sophie Guichard of San Francisco and Julie Walhgren of Sandpoint; six grandchildren Dawn and Emily Johnson in Nevada, Megan and Alexa Johnson of Oregon, and Hudson and Elliot Reed of Washington; and her caregiver of two years, Kristine Lwin.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Herb, and six brothers.
Memorial donations may be made to the Gideons, PO Box 1723, Sandpoint, ID 83864
Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Helen's online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her online guest book.