Funeral services for Robert Lymond Johnson, 90, will be held at 11am on Saturday, March 1 at Mary of the Lake Church in Lake City, MN. Visitation will occur prior to the service from 10-11am. Robert (Bob/BJ to friends and family) passed away February 18 at Cottagewood Senior Community in Rochester, MN.
Bob was the third child and oldest son of Lymond and Marie (Schintgen) Johnson. He was born on June 24, 1934 in Staples, MN. Bob grew up in a large, boisterous, and loving family that included 12 children. He graduated from Staples High School in 1952. From there he moved to Minneapolis, MN to work at Honeywell while taking classes at Dunwoody Technical College. In 1955, he met the love of his life Eloise (Ellie) at Saturday Nighters, a social group for single men and women in the Catholic church. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1956 and was stationed in Okinawa in 1957 and 1958. Upon his return in 1959, he and Eloise married at St. Boniface Church in Cold Spring, MN. The couple settled in their first home in Spring Lake Park, MN while Bob went back to work at Honeywell in production control.
In Spring Lake Park, the couple welcomed 3 children. However, Bob and Eloise wanted their children to grow up in a smaller town, so in 1966 they moved to Fairmont, MN where he took a job at Teledyne Aerospace. He would spend the rest of his career with Teledyne, working his way up to vice president of marketing and sales. In Fairmont, their family grew to include 3 more children.
Bob valued family above all else. He and Eloise prioritized their children, making many personal sacrifices to provide a safe, loving, and happy home. Bob grew up loving the water, so one of his first splurges in Fairmont was a boat. Most summer weekends the family could be found enjoying one of Fairmont’s 5 lakes. He passed on many of his hobbies by teaching all of his children to swim, waterski, and fish. Each summer, Bob took his family on a week-long vacation to a cabin at Blue Front Resort near Staples. These vacations provided many of the family’s happiest memories as all of these hobbies were shared with Bob’s extended family including his siblings and their children. In 1989, the family moved into a beautiful home on George Lake. Bob loved having easy access to fishing and providing opportunities for all of his children and grandchildren to swim, ski, and fish. His grandchildren remember him as “Grandpa Bub” who took them swimming and fishing off his party-barge/pontoon, then would bring them home for one of his famous fish fries. He was an extremely demonstrative man, so hugs and kisses were frequently given and requested. He would daily remark, “A person needs 3 hugs a day just to maintain” as an indicator that he needed a hug or when he recognized that someone else needed one.
Bob also prioritized education. Although he never finished a post-secondary degree, he completed numerous trainings and additional coursework throughout his lifetime, role-modeling life-long learning for his children. A desire to improve his communication skills led him to join Toastmasters for many years. Bob was a fan of Zig Ziglar and believed in the power of positive attitude. He encouraged his children to develop resilience and a can-do attitude. He stressed the importance of education and encouraged all of his children to attend college. His brilliant strategy to pay for the first year of college “worked.” He figured once he got his children there, they would find a way to finish. Bob and Eloise produced two engineers, two computer programmers, an accountant, and an English teacher. His passion for education can currently be seen in his 12 grandchildren who are pursuing degrees and careers they love.
Bob was also a man of strong faith. As a 50-year member of the Catholic Church in Fairmont, he volunteered as a lector and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He sacrificed personal comforts to ensure that all of his children attended St. John Vianney Catholic School. One of his favorite books was Heaven is for Real and his most cherished photo was an image of Jesus that was always in eye sight.
Upon his retirement from Teledyne, Bob and Ellie spent their winters in Florida at Carefree Country Club in Winterhaven. There, they made many wonderful friends and enjoyed time bowling, fishing, swimming, and playing Bocce ball. After 50 wonderful years in Fairmont, Bob and Eloise sold their beloved lake home and moved near Lake Pepin in Lake City, MN. Shortly after their move, Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Eloise was devoted to Bob and provided exceptional round-the-clock at home care until his recent hospitalization. Even in his final days, Bob recognized Eloise and would stroke her face and thank her for taking such good care of him.
Bob is survived by his wife of 65 years, Eloise (Hennen), his children Terese (Jon) Helberg of Prescott, WI, Craig (Christine) Johnson of San Diego, CA, Jenny (Michael) Walsh of Rochester, MN, Susan (John) Howe of Eden Prairie, MN, Brad (Marcia) Johnson of Maple Grove, MN, and Keri (Greg) Grokowsky of Holmen, WI. He is also survived by his grandchildren Alex (Sarah) and Nick (Nhung Do) Helberg, Kira and Lance Johnson, Kamisha, Jaycie, and Hallie Walsh, Jonathon, Sarah, and Laura Howe, and Elise (Markus) Linn and Jake Grokowsky, and three great-grandsons Landon, Cameron, and Jasper. He is also survived by his siblings Jeanne (Don) Peterson, Ron (Bev) Johnson, Chuck (Paula) Johnson, Kevin (Dian) Johnson, and Mary (Mike) Ming. He was preceded in death by his parents Lymond and Marie, and his siblings Joan, Peg, Russ, Doug, Bill, and Terry.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimer’s Association or Disabled American Veterans.
The Mass will be live streamed here on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Robert Johnson, please visit our flower store.
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