Winnifred Ruby Johnson, age 94, of Braham, Minnesota went to be with her Lord on Sunday, January 25, 2015.
Winnie was born on April 14, 1920 in Braham, MN to Charles and Alice (Swenson) Groth. She grew up on the family farm and graduated from Braham High School. She worked in Minneapolis for a few years before marrying H. Curtis Johnson on May 5, 1945 at the Braham Covenant Church. The couple enjoyed 54 years together, living in the Braham area.
Winnie was always involved in the life of the Covenant Church, serving in various capacities. She will be most remembered for her hospitality and willingness to serve. She enjoyed puzzles, gardening, picking berries, and walks in the woods to pick wild flowers. She loved playing games like Scrabble and Triominoes and was overheard telling her great-granddaughters, “Remember- I play to win.” Her special gift to her grandchildren was making Swedish pancakes. It was always their request when they would come to visit. To the great-grandchildren, she was the pancake lady. Winnie worked tirelessly at a family genealogy and history; recording everything including pictures and interesting stories. Her prayers for each of us will be greatly missed.
Winnie was preceded in death by her parents, husband Curtis, son Bruce, brother Charles Groth, and sisters Virginia Groth and Violet Vaca.
She is survived by her daughters, Iverne (Dennis) Sutton and Merideth (Bill) Coleman; son, David (Debra) Johnson; grandchildren, Lynnette (Doug) Diller, Craig (Sara) Jenkins-Sutton, Megan (Mason) Dorsey, Lindsay (AJ) Norman, Emily (Jordan) Anderson, Joshua (Hanna) Coleman, and John Coleman; great-grandchildren, Claire, Abigail, and Sylvia Diller; Bailey, Mia, and Carter Dorsey; Andrew, Maximus, and Brock Norman; Bae Coleman; and Elliana Anderson; brother Warren (Lorraine) Groth; sisters-in-law, Nancy Groth and Ruby Johnson; and many other relatives and friends
A special thank you to those who have surrounded her these past few years; extended family, the church, individuals in the community, and her friends and staff at Elmhurst Commons.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 at the Braham Ev. Covenant Church with Rev. Steve Jennisch officiating. A memorial visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Arrangements are by the Rock Ingebrand Funeral Home of Braham. Condolences may be posted at www.aifuneralhome.com.