Funeral services for Rev. Robert L. Johnson, age 73, of Lemmon, SD, will be held at 2:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at the Calvary Lutheran Church in Lemmon with Rev. Larry Vickery officiating. Burial with full military honors will be on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. CT at the ND Veterans Cemetery south of Mandan, ND.

I, Robert Lee "Bob" Johnson, left for Heaven at 8:50 a.m. on February 13, 2015. This ended my 22 day battle with heart disease. The last seven days I had been receiving care at the Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin, ND. I appreciated all the great care I received there and at the St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, ND. Following my death, I donated my eyes, so that another may see.

I was born to Otto Alfred and Bonnie (Schuyler) Johnson in Tulsa, OK, on August 19, 1941. I attended Cleveland Junior High and Tulsa Central High School, graduating in 1960. In the ninth grade, our football team was one of the finest. We won nine games and lost one. My team played Wilson Junior High three times that year. Wilson School had a quarterback who became Little All American. Cleveland won all three games to Wilson that year. I played my best game ever that third game. I intercepted three passes and scored two touchdowns.

At Tulsa Central High School, I played football (halfback), baseball (3rd base) and I was in opera club. My High School Baseball team won the State Championship in 1960. We played Oklahoma City. In 1960, I attended Junior College at Northeastern A & M in Miami, OK. I played football and baseball there. While there, I went to the National Baseball Championship.
I served in the United States Air Force from July of 1961 to 1965, when I was honorably discharged. I married Shirley Sloan in Clairmore, OK on June 9, 1966. To this union three children were born, Christie Lynn, who died in infancy, Robert Lee, who died in infancy and Lisa Marie, who was born on January 13, 1970.

My employment in Oklahoma included working in a variety of grocery stores. I worked sales for Dolly Madison from 1978 to 1986 and also for Swift Eckrich from 1986 to 1995. My call to preach came from God one morning when I was driving my Dolly Madison truck. God asked me to stop my truck. (I had been saved on September 30, 1969.) I knelt down by my running board and surrendered to preach. First, God told me to go home and tell my wife, Shirley, that I loved her. Then, I was to tell her about the call to preach. I attended seminary classes at Tulsa University and I also took seminary courses through Luther Rice Seminary in Lithuania, GA.

The churches I pastored included a mission in North Tulsa, called the Sychar Mission. Then I pastored in Hitchita, OK for three years, until 1995, when Shirley became too ill to make the trip back and forth from our home. Shirley passed away in September of 1995. In January of 1996, I accepted a call to pastor Lemmon Baptist Church in Lemmon, SD. I moved to Lemmon, and met Cheryl Veitz. We were married on July 7, 1996. We enjoyed over 18 ½ years together before my death.

In November of 2003, folks from Carson, ND, came to me and asked if I would start a Baptist Church in their community. I did, and the Carson Baptist Church was born. As a bivocational pastor, I have worked driving mail trucks and delivery mail on a rural route.

Missing me here on Earth are my wife, Cheryl, Lemmon, SD; my daughter, Lisa; my three grandchildren, Colt, Shailyn and Jacklyn; my two brothers, Dave (Colette) Johnson and Jon (Mary) Johnson and their families; Steve and Nikki Sharples and Judy Sloan and their families; Cheryl's mom, my mother-in-law, Vi Veitz; my brothers-in-law, Larry, Ron, Daryl and their families; and my precious cat, Shadow.

Meeting me in heaven are wife, Shirley; my two children, Christie Lynn and Robert Lee; my parents, Alfred and Bonnie Johnson; brothers, Fred and Alfred Jr.; and Cheryl's dad, my father-in-law, Walter Veitz.

Those carrying my casket are Larry and Ron Veitz, my wife, Cheryl, my brother Jon, and leaders from my churches, Harold Wilmot, Bob Ling, Clint Zimmerman and John Hanson. All friends and members of the Lemmon and Carson Baptist Churches are considered honorary casketbearers. Thank you for attending my Celebration of Life service. I cared for and loved each and every one of you.
Please be encouraged by reading John 3:16 and John 15:13.

Sincerely, Rev. Bob Johnson

Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 and from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 all at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.

Memorials have been established to the Lemmon Baptist Church and Carson Baptist Church.