DELLA M. JOHNSON

Della Marie (Nelsen) Johnson, 105 Years of Life

Della M Johnson, a resident of Maplewood at Mayflower Place in West Yarmouth, MA, passed away on December 30, 2022.  

Della was born June 28, 1917, to Danish immigrants, Anton and Frederikke (Bosse) Nelsen of Luverne, ND.  She attended Baldwin Grade School and then Dazey High School, graduating in 1936.   She there met her future husband, Ernest N Johnson, and they were married two years later in 1938.  Ernest served six terms in the ND State Legislature and in the final term as Speaker of the House.  The couple farmed near Dazey until 2001, when they sold their farmstead and retired full time to Mesa, AZ, where they had wintered as snow birds starting in 1971.  In 2001 they moved full time to Mesa, near where their son, Wayne lived, and In 2006 they moved to West Yarmouth, MA, to be near their Daughter, Mavis Grorud.

Della was the consummate cook, baker, home maker and gardener, who supported every operation on the farm.  She was famous for her noon meal (dinner) served promptly at 12:00 noon and attended by many an 11:45 drop in, whether family, friends or lost soul.  Everyone loved to raid her freezer for her bakings.  She was very proud of her flower and vegetable gardens and enthusiastically provided tours on Sundays to visitors.  The flower gardens followed her from the farm in ND to Arizona and Cape Cod.

Della was active in her faith and was involved in Ladies Aid, Circle and taught Sunday School at Faith Lutheran, Hannaford.  She was a dedicated home maker who rarely served a meal that she hadn’t personally prepared, including extended family or friend’s dinners on Sundays that often involved up to 20 guests.  During harvest, she prepared a cooked breakfast, and then delivered to the field mid-morning coffee and goodies, noon meal (dinner) and mid-afternoon lunch for the harvest crew and then had a warm supper available when the men returned home at 9:00 or 10:00 PM.  She often mowed the lawn with a riding tractor and drove to town to pick up repairs for machinery, so that the field work could continue. 

Della is survived by her two loving children and their spouses, Wayne and Diane Johnson and Mavis and Albert Grorud., four grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Ernest, her parents and two brothers, Ernest and Gordon.  She and her husband, Ernest were adored by nieces and nephews , who were always welcome and made to feel special.  She will be missed by all, but clearly was ready for her rest in her new garden.

A graveside memorial service will be held at the Faith Lutheran Cemetery in Hannaford, ND on May 11^th, 2023, at 1:00 PM.  This will be followed by a reception at the Hannaford Mercantile.  The family suggests that memorials be designated to the Faith Lutheran Cemetery Fund, or the Faith Lutheran Building Refurbishment Fund.