Edna Johannsen

Edna Anna Marie Jurgensen Johannsen was born on May 15, 1914, the daughter of Jurgen and Theresa C. Reimer Jurgensen. She passed away on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at Eventide Lutheran Home in Denison, Iowa, at the age of one hundred two.
Edna was born on a farm in Charter Oak Township. She was baptized in Christ on September 6, 1914, and later confirmed on April 10, 1927, both at St. John Lutheran Church in Charter Oak. She received her education at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Hanover Township, Charter Oak, St. John Lutheran School in Charter Oak and Charter Oak High School.
Edna married Robert Johannsen on June 24, 1934, at St. John Lutheran Church in Charter Oak. Two children were born to this union: Charleen (stillborn in 1938) and Burdette (1940-1985). They made their home on a farm near Battle Creek and later moved to a farm near Charter Oak. They retired in 1981 and moved into their new home in Charter Oak. Edna moved to the Reed House in Denison in April of 2008 and made her final move to Eventide Lutheran Home in July of 2009.
Edna was a member of the Willow Modern Homemakers for 48 years and the Friendship Club for 62 years. She was a 4-H leader for four years, a charter member of the Charter Oak Clubettes, and a past member of the Charter Oak Historical Club. She served on the board of VOCO and worked on various committees for the Charter Oak Diamond Jubilee in 1976 and again for the Centennial in 1991. Edna was also a past member of the Eventide Auxiliary and the Crawford County Hospital Auxiliary.
As a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Charter Oak, she served for many years as chairman of the greeters program, a Lamplighter and member of LWML and for many years made sure that the church services were taped and delivered to shut-ins. She also helped at Noah’s Ark Preschool and was a volunteer who rode the buses for the CO-U School. She drove many friends to Denison for their errands and appointments. All of this earned her Charter Oak’s “Citizen of the Year” award in 2002. Her husband, Robert, also earned this honor in 1976. Edna was named Senior Citizen Queen at the Crawford County Fair in both 2013 and 2014.
Edna’s Charter Oak home was always open for visiting guests such as pastors’ families, past vicars and their families and traveling singing groups. In addition to all of this, Edna baked and decorated hundreds of cakes through the years, quite the baker, as was her mother before her.
Edna was preceded in death by her parents, her husband in 1986, her daughter and son, and two sisters, Irene Bascom and Mabel Hennings. She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Eva McConnell; three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren: Shelly Weatherly, husband Brian and their children, Cooper, Kayla and Sadee Jo of LaMirada, California; Eric Johannsen, wife Ann and their children, Bianca, Danielle and Christian of Anaheim Hills, California; and Mark Johannsen, wife Carrie and their children, Jacob and Jillian of Buckeye, Arizona; nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.