Clark Maxwell JOHNSON

JOHNSON, TURNER, BAILEY, ENZLER, LARI, SMITH, GOEKEN, BEYER, HARRIS

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 11/23/2006 at 14:29:57

News-Review, Roseburg, Oregon
14 November 2006

Clark Maxwell Johnson, Age 92, passed away on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Born in Belmond, Iowa, on July 5, 1914, he was one of five children. His family called him "Max" or "Micky", later when he joined the U.S. Navy they called him "Johnnie", later still most folks who had business with dealings with him as "C.M." or "Clark". Micky was only four years old when his father was killed. Summers he lived with a neighboring farm family and worked farming from a young age. He did farm work with terms of draft horses and for a time traveled with a wise old "horse trader" who bought and sold horses. He had a life-long love of horses which he shared with everyone he knew. Max married quite young and had two children. They divorced and he moved to San Francisco, California, where he worked in a delicatessen, then in the ship yards for Bethlehem Steel wiring battle ships. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy and spent WWII on a battle ship in the South Pacific. When the war was over, Johnnie came home, and on April 8, 1946, he married Eva Ellis "Billie" Turner. They lived in northern California and Johnnie milked a string of cows, selling the milk to a cheese factory in Upper Lake. After that, they owned and operated an outdoor skating rink he was a very good skater himself! He worked as a carpenter in San Mateo until he fell and broke his shoulder, then moved his family to Richmond and worked for Smith, Lindstrom and Duncan in San Francisco as an electrician. City life never did agree with them, so in April of 1950, Johnnie and Billie moved their family to Ukiah, California. They lived in and around Ukiah for over 30 years. During that time they had 6 more children bring the total to 10! While in the Ukiah area Johnnie did a number of things for a living. He had a wrecking yard in Calpella, worked for PG&E as dam tender on Scott Dam at Lake Pillsbury, and in 1952, went to work for Mendocino State Hospital as a Psychiatric Technician. During his time MSH, C.M. saw a great need for a home for some of the folks there; so he and Billie bought the Cunningham Place near Talmage and with much hard work transformed it into "Magnolia Manor" a residential care home for eight elderly folks from MSH. In 1963, they sold the Manor and purchased the Ford Ranch north of Ukiah, building there the Rainbow Ranch residential care facility for 25 more folks (mostly from MSH) in need of a home and loving care. Rainbow Ranch was also the base for Wagons West Wagon Train Summer Camp, a train of pony drawn miniature wagons on a 7-week long trip through the mountains of northern California. Rainbow Ranch Indoor Arena, another venture, was home to winter jackpot rodeos, gymkanas, ropings, polo, horse shows, saturday night dances and Billie's "Peanut Wagon" coffee and goodies. In 1979, they sold Rainbow Ranch, bought property on the Willitis Grade and lived there briefly before moving to the Roseburg, Oregon, area in 1982. There they purchased a small ranch near Don and Betty Bailey, Billie's sister and her husband. In 1986, they sold the ranch in Oregon and "went on the road!" In their motor home, traveling all over the US, Canada and Mexico for several years; finally settling down the past few years in Oregon again. Mr. Johnson was, over all the years, a wonderful husband, loving father, grandpa, great-grandpa and friend to family friends beyond number.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Billie; children, Cozette Enzler; C.K. "Johnny" Johnson; Bonnie Lari; Tom Johnson; Jim Johnson; Kurt Johnson; Melissa Smith; Cindy Goeken and Rayleen Beyer all of Ukiah and Lorrie Harris and Ted Johnson of Roseburg. Also by 61 grandchildren and 47 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and friends beyond number. He touched the lived of his family and everyone who knew him leaving his footprints of love forever in our hearts, an amazing legacy - he will be greatly missed. Services will be held in California.