Joan Catherine Johnson

life story

Loving wife, mother, friend and gentle spirit

Reflections on Joan

Joan Catherine Johnson, 83, of Stillwater, died peacefully at home on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, with family faithfully at her side.

Joan is survived by husband Ron Johnson; children Steve Miller (Theresa Greenfield), Julie LeMoine (Jim), Kevin Miller (Jennifer), Mark Johnson (Lisa); grandchildren Tanya VanDenMeerendonk (Nik), Nick Wirtjes, Phil Wirtjes, Dane Miller, Emalee Miller, Shelby Miller, Amy Miller, Julia Miller, Dustin Johnson (Tammy), Brittany Landowski (Mark); great-grandchildren Jackson, Jordynn, Braeden, Emmerson, and Easton; brother David Thomas (Patsy); and numerous friends. Proceeding Joan in death were her parents Lee and Dorothy Thomas.

Joan’s gentle spirit touched everyone she knew during a long life of devotion and love. Her roots ran deep in her beloved Stillwater, where Joan was born, graduated from High School in 1956, and lived all her life. A child of the Great Depression and WWII, Joan knew hardship. “The early years were difficult financially for my parents,” she wrote in a biography, “the war, the depression, the ration books that I still have somewhere. My dad raised chickens and rabbits. I hated it when they butchered the chickens and would always run and hide.”

At Stillwater High, Joan was on the aerobic swim team, worked on the school newspaper, and sang in the choir. Her legendary organizational and people skills propelled Joan’s successful career in office administration and human resources. Oldtimers might remember Joan’s room-lighting smile from the business offices for Northern States Power and the Stillwater public school district. She eventually joined the engineering firm of Short Elliott Hendrickson, growing professionally with the company over 28 accomplished years to rise from secretary to office manager to Manager of Human Resources before retiring in 2001.

Joan’s passions outside of work were broad and deep, starting with her husband Ron and extending to her children and grandchildren, friends and neighbors, and her church. Married 48 years, Ron and Joan became the go-to couple whenever someone needed something fixed (Ron) or a hug and a batch of Christmas cookies (Joan). Together, they were a fixture at Christ Lutheran Church, from bible studies to the choir to office administration to the church council.

Joan loved to travel, especially if it meant visiting far-flung family. Pop-up campers eventually gave way to RVs and a 5th wheel, which became a treasured family oasis nestled on the Yellow River in Wisconsin. It was rare to find Joan without a book in her hands, or later, her precious Kindle. If she wasn’t reading, she was puttering in her beautiful gardens, tending to an array of her favorite flowers. And no matter the time of year, you knew the season at Joan’s house by her elaborate decorations for Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, and more.

Most missed by all who knew and loved her and all whose lives she touched will be Joan’s remarkable gift to connect with others no matter their station in life and make them feel exceptional.

memorial service

Rememberance

November 20, 2021

Christ Lutheran Church ELCA 11194 36th St N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042, USA

Visitation: 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Service: 11 a.m. to 12 noon

Lunch to follow