Jeannette Johnson

Jeannette Sophie Johnson was born March 13, 1921, the daughter of Mathhius and Alvena Carstens Grell. She died Saturday, December 4, 2010, at the Pleasant View Care Center in Whiting, Iowa, at the age of eighty-nine.
Jeannette was born on a farm near Boyer, Iowa, where she lived with her family until moving to a farm near Mapleton. She was baptized in Christ as an infant and later confirmed at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Mapleton in1935. She received her education in rural schools in Crawford and Monona counties.
On February 26, 1941, Jeannette was united in marriage to Walter Aldag, at St. John Lutheran Church, Stockholm Township, Kiron, Iowa. The couple made their home on a farm north of Schleswig and were blessed with the birth of four children. Walter passed away on December 5, 1947. Jeannette moved to Deloit where she later met Vierl Johnson and they were married in Pender, Nebraska, on August 26, 1949. They made their home on a farm near Denison and were blessed with the birth of one daughter. In 1952 they moved to a farm near Ute until retiring and moving to Mapleton where Jeannette cooked at the Maple Valley High School for five years. She also ran a catering and cake decorating business out of her home with Dorothy Pope for many years.
Jeannette was a loving and caring mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother who loved traveling with her family. She enjoyed vegetable and flower gardening, and canning. She was extremely talented at baking and decorating cakes for many weddings, baptisms, confirmations, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries and any other special events until 1999. Her faith and attending church regularly with her family were very important to her. She was a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Mapleton, their Ladies Aid and Altar Guild. She taught Sunday school and weekday school at St. Matthew. As a member of the Sunshine Club she enjoyed quilting, in addition to quilting for the church. In her earlier years she was involved with 4-H. In her leisure time she enjoyed socializing, watching televison, especially old favorites like Lucille Ball, and playing the piano which she taught herself.
Jeannette was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Walter; her husband, Vierl in 1981; one grandson, Cade Johnson; one great-grandson, Cole Johnson; four sisters: Emma Lehmann, Edna Cram, Dorothy Scheer Murren and Marie Kropf Knudsen; and one brother, Arnold Grell. Survivors include her children: Leon Johnson and his wife, Patricia of Pryor, Oklahoma; David Johnson and his wife, Lorna of Denison; Carolyn Reitz and her husband, Don of Danbury; Freddie Johnson and his wife, Jane of Lake Park; and Jennifer Lynn and her husband, Craig of Ute; fifteen grandchildren; thirty great-grandchildren and two great great-grandchildren; one sister, Betty Paulsen of Denison; one brother, Freddie Grell and his wife, Vonnie of Danbury; many other relatives and friends.