obituary from newspaper

PERRY WILLIAM JOHNSON

Humboldt — Perry William Johnson, 68, of; Humboldt, passed away March 5, 2005 at the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am. Saturday, Feb 12 at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Humboldt. Visitation hours with the family will be from 4-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 at the Mason-Lindhart Funeral Home in Humboldt.

Mr. Johnson is survived by his wife, Donna, of Humboldt: his children. David William Johnson of Humboldt, Catherine Ann Chavers of Hill City, Minn. and Matthew Perry Johnson of Hardy:

13 grandchildren, sister, J. Yvonne Sands of Alta, Iowa; and brothers, Donavon K. Johnson of Laurens, and Wayne E. Johnson of Rockford. His parents preceded him in death.

Perry William Johnson, the son of Lester William and Helen Marjorie (Barry) Johnson, was born July 1, 1936 at Hartley, Iowa. He attended county school and graduated from high school at Royal in 1954. Following his education, he was employed by Dickinson Electric and Graham Tire Company in Spencer. He was united in marriage to Donna Belle Wagoner on October 21, 1956. On January 1, 1959, Perry began his career in the insurance industry with John Hancock Life Insurance Company, where he received the Leaders Award. He added Time Insurance Company in 1960 to offer both life and health insurance to his clients. In 1981, he became a general agent for Bankers Mutual eventually becoming a top producer for that company. In 1982, Mr. Johnson began his successful independent agency, which he maintained until his retirement In 2001.

For 14 years, Perry was a member of the Foremen Quartet, which competed in seven international competitions and became Central States Champs. The pinnacle of their career was the USO Tour of 1969. He became bi-vocational, becoming a pastor on January 1, 1987, serving the First Baptist Church in Gilmore City until September of last year. He was an active layman at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Humboldt and a member of Gideon’s International. His enthusiasm for teaching the Bible came from his love of evangelism and he instilled in his family, a love for the outdoors, hunting and fishing.