Shirley Marie Johnson

Funeral services for Shirley Johnson, age 88, of Mankato, will be held Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 11:30 AM at Zion Lutheran Church in Milaca with Pastor Glen Bickford officiating.  Interment will follow at Forest Hill Cemetery in Milaca.  Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday.

Shirley Marie Johnson was born June 9, 1931 in Peoria, Illinois to Arthur and Marie Brehmer.  She moved to Minneapolis in 1945 and attended Washburn High School.  After high school, she worked for the State of Minnesota and rode a streetcar to work.  She met Stewart Patrick while on the University of Minnesota flag team and Stewart was in the marching band.  They married and had three children.  They moved several times and ended up in Mankato.  When Scott, the youngest was in first grade, she went to work at Mankato State College in the graduate education office where she worked over 25 years.  She later married Iver Johnson and retired up north, first on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes and later in Nisswa.

Shirley loved her family dearly.  She showed her love by baking, cooking, sewing, attending events that they were in, and always ready to listen no matter how joyous or difficult the conversation.

She loved to travel and shared many trips with Iver around the United States and several foreign countries.  They loved to include stops to see friends they knew along the way.

Shirley passed away January 5, 2020 in Mankato.

She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Iver; children, Barbara (Harry) Ross, Deborah (Mark) Wheeler, Scott (Ann) Patrick; sister, Marilyn Daughenbaugh; grandchildren, Ben, Erin, Tiara, Emily, Morgan, Justin and Michael ; great-grandchildren; step children, Jill (Roger) Van Cleeve, James (Roberta) Johnson, Janet (Dan) Workman, Lisa (Tony) Clubb, David (Shannon) Johnson; and nine step-grandchildren.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, brother-in-law, Frank Daughenbaugh, nephew, Ben Lee.