WWII veteran

The funeral for Gordon Johnson, 64, longtime Minnewaukan area resident, will be held Wed., July 31 at 2 p.m. from the Trinity Free Lutheran Church in Minnewaukan with Rev. Jerome C. Nikunen officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery with military honors provided by the Gunnerud-Dietrich Post 86 of the American Legion at Minnewaukan. He died on Sunday, July 28, 1985, at the Veteran's Hospital in Fargo.
Organist will be Mrs. Duane (Fay) Huffman and the vocalist will be Mrs. Vernon (Agnes) Christianson. Grandsons acting as pallbearers will be Jeff Clouse, Lance Clouse, Scott Clouse, Billy Goers, Blake Guffey and Jeff Riggin. The Nelson Funeral Home of Maddock is in charge of arrangements.
Gordon Johnson was born May 19, 1921 in Eldon Township of Benson County to Frederick & Tilla Nasset Johnson. As a child, he moved with his family to a farmstead northeast of Minnewaukan & graduated from Minnewaukan High School in 1940. He married Eileen Rikansrud on April 25, 1942 at Minnewaukan. Gordon was inducted into the US Army in October of 1942 & medically discharged in May of 1945. He was wounded in France in 1944 & consequently, spent 10 months in military hospitals. In 1948, Gordon began working as a janitor at the Benson County Courthouse in Minnewaukan until his election to the office of Register of Deeds in 1949. He held that office for 26 years when ill health forced him to retire. He then was admitted to the VA Hospital in Minneapolis where he was a patient for 1 1/2 years and was the recipient of a kidney transplant from his daughter, Gloria. Gordon & Eileen moved back to live in Minnewaukan in May of 1978.
He was a member of the Trinity Free Lutheran Church and its cemetery sexton. He was a longtime member and former commander of the Minnewaukan American Legion. Gordon was also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Harlow & active in the 40&8 and the Eagles Club, both of Devils Lake.
Survivors include his wife, Eileen of Minnewaukan; his son, Gary of Portland, Ore.; 6 daughters, Mrs. Calvin (Leola) Clouse of Minot, Mrs. Alvin (Gloria) Hoff of Montrose, Colo., Linda Riggen of Bismarck, Mrs. Bill (Elaine) Goers & Mrs. Mark (Marilyn) Pisani, both of Los Angeles, Calif.; 18 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; 3 brothers, Fred T. of Minnewaukan, John of Red Bluff, Calif. and Ronald of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; 6 sisters, Anna Ashford & Hilda Bily, both of Kirkland, Wash., Mrs. Richard (Gina) Remington of Spokane, Wash., Mabel Holtz of New Rockford, Margaret Darling of Bellevue, Wash. & Mrs. Harry (Lillian) Salisbury of Valley City.
Gordon was preceded in death by his parents; 3 sisters, Olive, Lena & Ellen; & a brother, Edwin.