Gary E. Johnson

Gary E. Johnson, 74 of Devils Lake, ND passed away early Tuesday morning, July 16, 2019 at his home in the loving care of his family and Altru Hospice.

Gary Ernest Johnson the son of Ernest and Nellie (Rugroden) Johnson was born on March 23rd, 1945 in Devils Lake, ND. He was raised and attended school in Devils Lake, graduating from Devils Lake High School in 1963.  After graduating, Gary entered the Navy, and upon his discharge, Gary returned to Devils Lake and married Betty Elgaen on June 24th, 1966 in Devils Lake. They moved to Montana for a short while, then moved to Kansas where their oldest daughters, Carol and Sally, were born.  They moved back to the Lake Region area in 1973, where their youngest two children, Carla and Gary were born.

Gary then went to work for Knetter Cheese in Lakota. He also attended Lake Region State College earning a degree in Diesel Mechanics.  The family moved to Minnewaukan, ND, where he became very active in the local volunteer ambulance service.  This would lead to the family moving to Devils Lake in 1983 when he became a full time member of the Lake Region Ambulance Service.  Due to health reasons he resigned from LR Ambulance, then went to work for Lake Region Corporation & REM until his retirement.  Not one to sit idle, Gary then began a mobile paper route with the Devils Lake Journal until his retirement.

Gary enjoyed the outdoors whenever he got a chance. He took the family on many camping and fishing trips. He also enjoyed playing pool, bowling, having played in various leagues for several years. He then found a passion for woodworking. He would spend several hours in his shop building and creating new things.

Gary was known to be a prankster. One never knew who was going to be pranked by him for Halloween. He once made a fish house for his brothers the size of an outhouse. He loved to tease and joke with his kids and grandkids. He was always available if they needed help with any project. For several years, his shop became a sausage making station for his family, with hundreds of pounds being produced in a day.

He was known to be very caring and generous. People would often-kindly comment on the care that they received from him during his ambulance days. Gary also would never hesitate to have just one person or whole families stay at the Johnson home if they needed a place.

Gary is survived by his wife of 53 years, Betty; daughters Carol Johnson, Sally (Gene Jr.) LaMotte, Carla (Paul) Bjornson; son Gary D. Johnson, all of Devils Lake, ND; sister Jane (Ralph) Wentz, Devils Lake; grandchildren; Loralee LaMotte, Leeds, ND, Lukas LaMotte, Minot, ND, Morningstar Bjornson, Marcus Miller, Kayla Miller, Cody Bjornson, Dominick Bjornson, Kali Bjornson, Katiri Bjornson, Jonah Bjornson, Tyray Bjornson, Terrance Bjornson and Shyree Bjornson all of Devils Lake and Bella Johnson of Devils Lake; great grandchildren Alexis Hill, Leeds and Elliot Bjornson, Devils Lake; sisters-in-law Louise Johnson, Stone Mountain, GA and Pat Johnson, Olathe, KS, Carol Wilkinson, Overland Park, KS; brother-in-law Sidney Elgaen, also Overland Park, KS; several nieces and nephews.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents, infant daughter Mary Jo, brothers Ronald Johnson, Roger Johnson and James “Jimmy” Johnson, infant grandson, Clay James LaMotte, sister-in-law Myrtle Burdick, brothers-in-law Alfred Elgaen and Carl Elgaen Jr.

Casket Bearers for Gary will be Lukas LaMotte, Karl Krogfoss, Matt Ellison, Dale Moser, Dominick Bjornson, Cody Bjornson, Brian Johnson and Roger Wentz. Honorary Bearers will be Gary’s Nieces, Nephews, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.

Funeral Services for Gary will be on Friday, July 19, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Devils Lake with Reverend Tom Westcott officiating. Burial will be in the Devils Lake Cemetery. Military Honors will be accorded by the Neathery-Simensen Post #756, Devils Lake Veterans of Foreign Wars and the North Dakota Military Funeral Honors Team-Navy.

Visitation will be held at the church on Friday one hour prior to the funeral service.