Phyllis Johnson, age 87, passed away on Monday, July 11, 2016 at the Unity Medical Center of Grafton, ND.
She was born Phyllis Elizabeth Gorder on July 7, 1929 in Grafton, ND, the daughter of the late Henry Olaf and Ida Caroline (Eck) Gorder. She grew up in Grafton and attended Grafton Public Schools where she enjoyed music. She was a part of the Grafton Marching Band and performed twice at the famed Rose Bowl Parade, in Pasadena, California.
She married her high school sweetheart, Anton Finley Johnson, on December 11, 1949 at Grafton Lutheran Church and settled into farming near Nash, ND for the next forty-one years. Along with being a farm wife and helping out on the farm, Phyllis was a legal secretary and later became the business manager of the Nash School District from when it opened in 1957 until 1999 when she retired.
She was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church for years and was active in Ladies Aid and Bible Study and taught Sunday school. She was also active in the Grafton chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and rose to the rank of Worthy Matron. She was in Mother’s Club for the Nash School District and worked with other mothers in the area in raising funds to keep the little two-roomed school house open. She also served on the Farmington township election board for a number of years.
After moving back to Grafton, she was active with Grafton Unity Medical Center Women’s Auxiliary, Grafton Lutheran Church, Woman’s Bible Study and Second Time Around thrift store.
Phyllis is survived by her sons: Tim (Susan) Johnson, Park River, ND; Steve (Laurie) Johnson, Grafton, ND; Paul (Valorie) Johnson, Fairbault, MN; nine grandchildren: Matt (Sandy) Johnson, Jeremy (Randi) Johnson, Megan Johnson, Josh (Jessica) Johnson, Chris (Andrea) Johnson, Sami Johnson, Lori Johnson, Sarah Johnson, Emily Johnson; six great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law: Adele Gorder and Linda Fiocchi. Several nieces and nephews also survive. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Finley, brothers: Hank and Howard Gorder and sister, Alice (Gorder) Mitchell.
Funeral services will be Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. at the Grafton Lutheran Church of Grafton. Visitation will be on Saturday for one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be at the North Trinity Lutheran Cemetery, rural Grafton. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the North Trinity Cemetery Fund or the Unity Medical Center Women’s Auxiliary.
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