Obituary of Dale R Johnson

Dale was born in Mankato, MN to Axel and Alice Johnson on May 10th, 1925 and died on February 7th. Dale had five children, Susan, Gary, Mark, Keith and Julie. He felt lucky to have two loving son in laws, Bud and Mike. Dale loved and delighted in his six Grandchildren, Daniel (Heather), Brennan, Patrick, Jessica, Alicia, Adine and his Great Granddaughter Gracelyn. Dale was predeceased in death by his "big brother" Ray. Dale was raised in Nicollet, MN. He played sports, an all-star in baseball, basketball and football in high school. His schoolmates became life-long friends. Dale served in the Navy during WWII and after the war moved to the Seattle area where he married Mary Sullivan and raised a family. Over the years Dale worked in his brother Ray's store, Boeing and retired from Honeywell in 1983. Dale enjoyed coaching his sons in basketball and baseball at St. Paul's Parish and for local league teams. He also coached CYO high school basketball, a team that went on to be state champions. He was serious about teaching each player the skills they needed to improve. He loved to win. Dale was an enthusiastic fan of the Mariners and Duke University Basketball. Upon retirement, Dale purchased 6 acres of wooded land and proceeded to work full-time to realize his vision of streams and bridges, pathways and gardens. He devoted countless hours planting over one hundred different varieties of rhododendrons in addition to azaleas, daffodils, roses and anything to bring color to his "ponderosa." HIs family spent many happy hours working beside him, picnicking, getting a tractor ride, playing horseshoes and eating raspberries. His children and grandchildren have so many wonderful memories. We often tell stories and laugh about our time with our father and grandfather in this beautiful place. Dale also had many fond memories of Mary Lou Hoffmann, a friend he met during high school. They reconnected during Dale’s retirement and over a period of ten years he spent many happy times with her and her family in St. Peter, Minnesota. Mary Lou would come to Olympia for the summer, making pies, planning picnics, and just making the best fudge ever. She brought happiness to us all. After a stroke in 2004 Dale was courageous in meeting the challenges and adjusting to his new limitations. He developed warm relationships with his caregivers (each one had a nickname), loved playing cards with Aunt Lucy, Uncle Ray, Aunt Hilda and Uncle Fran often on a weekly basis, and having his children and grandchildren come to visit especially our family barbecues. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul's Parish, 10001 57th Ave So, Seattle, WA. The family wants to extend a special thanks to Life Care of Puyallup for the loving care Dale received. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to: Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge 100 Brown Farm Road Olympia, WA 98516