Florence Jeanette Johnson , 88, Minot died on Saturday, May 30, 2015, at the Souris Valley Care Center in Velva.

Florence was born to Almer and Nellie (Engeland) Anderson on July 2, 1926, in Erskine, Minnesota. She was the youngest of six children. Her family spoke Norwegian while attending to the daily needs of farm life. She began learning English when she attended a rural school near her farm. She and her sisters and brother walked to and from school in the warm seasons and cross country skied the distance in winter. Florence was baptized and confirmed in Norwegian at Saron Lutheran Church near Erskine.

While working in Crookston, Minnesota, Florence made donuts for the Sweet Shop, where she caught the eye of a young James Johnson. They were joined in marriage on May 7, 1950, in Crookston, Minnesota where they started their married journey together. They moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where their son, Les, was born and later to Ironwood, Michigan. Their last move was to Minot, North Dakota, where their two daughters, Vangie and Lori were born. Florence and James were married for 62 years until James passed away on May 27, 2012.

Florence's main priorities were her roles as wife and mother over everything else. While living in Minot, she worked at Ellison's Department Store, Dee's Luncheonette, Clarence Parker Hotel, Coast to Coast, Ramada Inn and Hardware Hank Hardware Stores. She retired in 1983. Florence continued to reside in Minot until recently moving to the Souris Valley Care Center in Velva. While there, she was surrounded by numerous faithful and caring professionals.

Florence was a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Minot, its quilting club, craft club and taught Sunday School. She was a Cub Scout Den Leader and Brownie Troop Leader. Florence had a gift for creating different inventions to help make chores around the house easier. She especially enjoyed crafting, sewing, knitting, and crocheting. She was proud of her Norwegian heritage and participated in activities and organizations that represented her Norwegian heritage and traditions. She was skilled at preparing Norwegian cuisine such as lutefisk, lefse, krumkake and rosettes. Her favorite hobbies were observing birds and gardening. She loved the song of the meadowlark while she worked in her yard. She enjoyed noticing the migration of different birds and took joy in seeing the first robin of spring, which she eagerly reported to all her family each year.

Florence's loving family includes her children: Dr. Leslie (Debbie) Johnson of Grand Forks, Vangie (Herb) Johnson-Parker of Fargo and Lori (Dan) Olson of Minot; grandchildren: Scott, Kyle and Shaun Johnson; Marie, and Cherisse Parker; Becky Parker Blair, Danielle, Matthew, Clara, James and Joseph Olson; step-grandchildren: Melissa Rahn and Tara Hallberg; Three great-grandchildren: Jude Diede, Autumn Johnson, and Parker Rahne; siblings: Selma Ellingson of Grand Forks, ND, Pearl Werner of East Grand Forks, MN, Albert Anderson of Erskine, MN, Lillian Aaker of Northwood, ND, Norma Hanson of Erskine, MN, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Florence's life journey ended on May 30, 2015, when she joined those who preceded her in death: her parents, Nellie and Almer Anderson, her husband, James Berger Johnson, and grandchild Eran Paxton Olson.

Celebration of the Life of Florence Johnson: Saturday, June 6, 2015, at 1:30 p.m. at Bethel Free Lutheran Church of Minot.
Interment: Rosehill Memorial Park - Minot.
Visitation: Friday, June 5, 2015, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Thomas Family Funeral Home - Minot.
Memorials are preferred to Christ Lutheran Church or Souris Valley Care Center.