J. Oliver Johnson

J. Oliver Johnson, age 92, of Gardar ND, most recently of Grand Forks, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 10, 2013 at Woodside Village, Valley 4000, Grand Forks, ND. Oliver Johnson was born on June 21, 1920, in Gardar ND, son of the late Samuel and Sigrid Johnson. He graduated from Gardar High School. On June 22, 1957 he married the late Shirley Mae Cox in Mountain, ND. They lived and farmed in Gardar, Pembina County, ND. He retired from farming in 1984. He was a Pembina County Commissioner from 1966 until 1998, serving as Chairman several times. He was named County Commissioner of the Year in 1999 by the North Dakota Association of Counties. He was a member of the Gardar Lutheran Church. He also served on numerous other commissions and boards, including the Red River Regional Council, the Pembina County Memorial Hospital, the Pembina County Social Services Board and Pembina Mutual Insurance Board. He gladly volunteered his time on these boards as a way to serve the community. He is survived by daughter Sharon (Randy) Hodge, Killarney MB; son Wayne (Connie), Park River ND; son Jay (Cindy), North Barrington Il; daughter Jill (Terry) Ginder, Drayton ND; son Jerry (Barb), Huntington Woods MI. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren, three great-granchildren and two siblings: Goodie Anderson, Hensel ND and Victor Johnson, Grafton ND. Several nieces and nephews also survive. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents and sister Lillian Johnson, Grand Forks, ND. Funeral services will be Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 10:30 A.M. at the Pioneer Lutheran Church, Gardar, ND. Friends may call at the church on Wednesday for one hour prior to the service. Internment will take place at the Gardar Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Gardar Cemetery.