Hattie Emily Johnson

Hattie Emily Johnson was born in Onalaska, Wisconsin, on the Mississippi River about seven miles north of LaCrosse on April 21, 1910. Her earliest memories were from when she and her family lived in Isabel, South Dakota, about 140 miles southwest of Bismarck near the North Dakota border. She started school in Superior, Wisconsin, and also attended school in Lonetree, near Minot, as well as in a country school near Pingree, North Dakota.

She and her older brother, Bernie, spent the majority of their childhoods in the Pingree area, where she and her future husband, Peter Gunder Johnson, were childhood friends.

Hattie attended business college in Bismarck and also worked as an operator for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in Bismarck. She spoke frequently of taking the call to the Bismarck Fire Department on the night of December 28, 1930, when the original state capital building burned to the ground.

Hattie married (Peter) Gunder Johnson of Pingree on June 6, 1931 in Bismarck. They spent their early married life in the Pingree area before moving to Southern California where they lived for five and one-half years. They returned to the Buchanan-Pingree area in 1943, where both spent the remainder of their lives. Their son, Gary, was born in Long Beach, California, on September 15, 1940.

For a couple of years during the 1940's Hattie and Gunder lived on the original Johnson farmstead south of Pingree where he was born and had spent his childhood. They moved to the farm a mile and half from Buchanan in 1947 where they remained for the rest of their lives. Their son, Gary, attended first grade in Pingree and the remainder of his public schooling in Buchanan.

She and Gunder were members of the Pingree Lutheran Church for decades, where Hattie was active in the Ladies Aid. She was also active in the Homemakers Club in Pingree for many years.

Her husband, Gunder, died in June 1994, two days short of their 63rd wedding anniversary. She lived for many years with special cousin Gene Gardner until becoming ill and entering Jamestown Hospital in early March 2005. Following her hospital stay, she moved to Hi-Acres Manor Nursing Home in Jamestown where she died peacefully in her sleep at 12:30 A.M., Wednesday, June 29, 2005 at age 95.

Hattie is survived by her son, Gary, (Roberta) who lives in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, as well as granddaughters, Margaret, who lives in Portland, Oregon and Jane, (Robert Rivera) and great-grandson, Michael Paul, who lives in Tucson, Arizona. She is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, grand-nephews, grand-nieces, as well as special cousin, Gene Gardner and special friend, Nora Moran.

Funeral Service: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, July 6, 2005 at Pingree Lutheran Church, Pingree, North Dakota.

Visitation: 1:00 to 8:00 PM, Tuesday, July 5, 2005 at the Eddy Funeral Home, Jamestown.

Burial: Pingree Cemetery, Pingree, North Dakota.