Orville Lester Johnson
Orville Johnson, age 97 of Barrett, Minnesota, passed away Saturday, October 18, 2025.
Visitation for Orville Johnson will be held Friday, October 24, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at Lincoln Lutheran Church, rural Hoffman, MN.
Memorial services for Orville Johnson will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 24, 2025, at Lincoln Lutheran Church, rural Hoffman, MN.
Orville Lester Johnson was born on March 15, 1928, in Roseville Township, rural Hoffman, Minnesota the son of Theodore and Olga (Endreson) Johnson. He was raised in the Lincoln Lutheran Church and attended Rural School District 52 in Elk Lake Township through the eighth grade. He grew up on a farm two miles east of the school. He was called home to be with his Lord on October 18, 2025.
On September 10, 1949, Orville married Marian Watry in the parsonage in Barrett. They moved to Seattle for a couple years then returned to the family farm in 1953, where he took over the farming and eventually purchased the farm. He continued farming until 1987. They moved to Colorado Springs where they managed an apartment building for a short time, then moved to Colorado City, Colorado where he did handyman work repairing and building. They loved the mountains and when family visited, they toured different places of interest. Orville and Marian celebrated 56 years of marriage before she passed in 2006. Orville enjoyed woodworking, doing special projects with his scroll saw, and he liked the outdoors. He was always active in his churches in Minnesota and Colorado.
Orville married Kris (Ball) Johnson in 2012 in Colorado City, CO, where they resided until they moved to Fort Myers, Florida in 2021.
Orville is survived by his wife: Kris Johnson; children: Steven (Roberta) Johnson of Barrett, MN, Linda Estenson of Alexandria, MN, Virginia (George) Sakanai of Colorado City, CO, and Duane (Nancy) Johnson of Los Angeles, California; two sisters-in-law: Leota Johnson and Beverly Johnson; nine grandchildren: Timothy (Sarah) Johnson, Daniel (Emily) Johnson, Sarah (Hector) Franco, Rebecca (Jathan) Brubaker, Jeremy (Laura) Estenson, Adam (Natasha) Estenson, Andrea Estenson, Christian (Simone) Sakanai, Jonathan (Katie) Sakanai; and thirty-six great-grandchildren; stepdaughters: Alison Smythe and family of Swindon, England, and Rachel (Keith) Gill and family of Labelle, FL.
He is preceded in death by his parents, wife: Marian; daughter: LaVonne Johnson; son-in-law: Jon Estenson; five brothers: Kenneth, T. Robert, Edwin (Aldeen), Roger, Luther; and one sister: Helen (Bud) Luetgers.
Arrangements are with Erickson-Smith Funeral Home.
