OLAF ALGOT JOHNSON 1923-2004

ERICKSON, JOHNSON, OBRIEN, KELLER, DELARM, WOOD

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 7/14/2005 at 18:52:46

OLAF ALGOT JOHNSON

Olaf A. Johnson, 80, of Waukon, died Tuesday, January 13, 2004, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services were held Friday, January 16 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Waukon, with Rev. Lynn G. Groe officiating. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon was in charge of arrangements.

Olaf Algot Johnson was born on April 16, 1923, in the Round Prairie area of rural Waukon, the son of Carl A. and Emma (Erickson) Johnson. He attended rural schools and graduated from Union Prairie #2. After school he farmed with his father and brother Clarence. Later he spent several seasons going to North Dakota to thresh wheat for his uncle John Johnson.

On March 2, 1946, he married Doris O'Brien at St. Joseph's at Paint Rock Catholic Church near Harpers Ferry.

They moved to Cedar Rapids where he worked for nine years as a mechanic for a heavy equipment construction company, Concrete Material. Following that, they moved back to the family farm at West Ridge where Olaf first rented, then purchased the farm in 1963.

He liked working with his two cycle tractors and was an early proponent of conservation practices on the farm. He also enjoyed helping his neighbors with farm and mechanic work. He retired from farming and moved to Waukon in 1984.

Olaf was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church and Farm Bureau. He loved animals and spent many hours working with pets, both wild and domestic. He also enjoyed fishing, going to sales, auctions and parades, and playing cards every Sunday with relatives. He had a keen interest in and knowledge of local history and was known for his wonderful sense of humor and creative practical joking.

Survivors include a daughter, Jackie (Robert) Keller of Norwalk, Wis.; three sons, Carl (Julie), David (Robin) and Jeffery (Diana), all of Waukon; 10 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a sister, Ruth (Raymond) DeLarm of Atkins, Iowa; and a sister-in-law, Alice Johnson of Cedar Rapids.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Doris, a sister, Esther (Elmer) Wood; and a brother, Clarence Johnson.

Honorary casketbearers were Rapheal, Raymond, and Ruth Rea, Ed O'Neill, Pat Curtin, and Sandy Van Horn.

Casketbearers were Kenneth, Danny, Ed, and Donnie Johnson; Robert Kriz; and Mitch DeLarm.

©Waukon Standard 2004
source: Waukon Standard, Waukon, Allamakee Co. IA, 1/21/2004