Carol Johnson
Carol Andrea Johnson, 94, of Motley, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on August 1, 2025.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, August 22 at Lincoln Evangelical Free Church, 1354 320th Street, Cushing. Visitation with the family will begin at 10:00 a.m. and the service will begin at 11:00 a.m., with lunch following. Pastor Don Reigstad will officiate.
No open mic time will be offered during the funeral service; the family would appreciate your sharing remembrances, stories, etc on Carol’s obituary page at www.brenny.com, in the “Guestbook”. The funeral service will be livestreamed on the church’s YouTube channel, at https://youtube.com/@lincolnefree798.
Carol was born May 11, 1931, to Albert and Jennie Sandberg in Minneapolis. She grew up in Minneapolis with her siblings, Eljane and Maynerd and later moved with her family to Crystal. Carol cherished memories from her childhood - stories of wartime simplicity, playful mischief with her older brother and the spiritual foundation laid when her father left his job at the Minneapolis Tribune to follow his calling as a full-time gospel minister.
After graduating from Robbinsdale High School in 1949, Carol worked in payroll at General Mills and attended MacPhail College of Music and Northwestern College. In 1952, she married Wesley Johnson. They moved to Chicago where he completed seminary. Together, they raised a family and served in various churches across the Midwest. In 1977, she and Wes moved to Crystal Lake, IL where Wes was Superintendent of the Great Lakes District of the Evangelical Free Church of America. Carol served faithfully alongside Wes in the District offices until their “retirement” in 1995 when they moved to Minnesota. Apple Valley first and with “full” retirement, to Motley in 2006. Wes passed away in 2020 after their 68 years of marriage.
Carol remained active in her church, deeply invested in her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and continually anchored by her faith.
Carol was affectionately known as both “Grandma” and “Bop” - a nickname given by her oldest grandchildren. Her grandchildren hold countless cherished memories of time spent at her house, remembering her as caring, funny, kind, down to earth, a prayer warrior and a delightful goofball. She was steady, sassy, sometimes brutally honest and always full of love. When they visited, she and Wes would say, “We wish you could stay forever.” Above all, she was a woman of God and her faith touched everyone who knew her.
She is survived by two sons, Larry (Lois) Johnson of Motley and Rick (Jan) Johnson of Kalispell, MT; one daughter, Tammy (Brian) Teyema of Barrington Hills, IL; nine grandchildren, Lisa (Charlie) Anderson, Kimberly (Charlie) Carlson, Sarah Johnson, Rachel Johnson, Katie VanDixhorn, Matthew (Maddie) VanDixhorn, Alison (Gerrit) Immink, Ashley (Jay) Williams and Whitney VanDixhorn; 17 great-grandchildren, Dayton, Camden, Ashton, Waylen and Hazel Anderson; Eli and Owen Carlson; Maia, Noah and Judah Johnson-Mendoza; Henry and Cecelia Immink; Sage, Scout, Lewis and Piper Williams and Asher Dahmm.
Her legacy of love, faith, and service continues through each of them.
She also is survived by one sister-in-law, Marie Hauck of Ramsey and many, many loved neices, nephews, cousins and dear friends.
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