Howard Johnson (1936-2024)

Howard Johnson, 87, of DeForest, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on October 6, 2024, in Wichita, Kansas.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1936 to William (Bill) and Ethel Johnson, Howard grew up in DeForest. In 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving honorably until his discharge as a corporal in 1957. Following his military service, Howard attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Aa a teaching assistant in the Art Department, Howard met his future wife, Linda Brunsting. Linda famously remarked to her friends when she first laid eyes on Howard and one of her friends claimed they wanted to get a date with him, "That's fine, but I am going to marry him." She proceeded to knock a bag of cement off the table and told Howard, "Let me buy you a beer to make up for that." And, that was the beginning of a wonderful nearly 60-year adventure.

Howard translated his outgoing personality into his professional career in sales spanning the medical industry, lawn & garden equipment, jewelry and watches to the food industry.

The sales positions he took moved him all over the country including: Madison, Laramie, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, Des Moines, Lenexa, Woodbridge and Shawnee. He moved Linda to Bonita Springs, FL to finish his career and ended up in Sebring, FL for retirement. He and Linda made lasting friendships in the many neighborhoods in which they lived.

His life traveling for work and the many moves he made contributed to his love of travel. He and Linda were fortunate to have had many international vacations with a steady diet of warm beaches.

Howard cherished his childhood memories growing up in Wisconsin. He fondly recalled the ice being delivered by a horse-drawn truck, with the iceman handing out chunks of ice for him to chew on. He also remembered gathering around the radio to hear updates on World War II. One fond memory was delivering milk with his grandfather, Hugo Sydow, a dairy farmer, on a wagon pulled by their two horses, Babe and Bob.

Howard was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Linda Johnson. He is survived by his brother, Bob Johnson (Marilynn) of Urbandale, IA; his sister, Jayette Schultz of Jefferson, WI; and his four sons, Thor (Jodi) of Morrison, CO, Gunnar (Tasha) of Wichita, KS, Sigurd (Karen) of Arvada, CO, and Arne (Jacque) of Lakeville, MN, 10 grandchildren Krista Moore (Kevin), Dietrich, Lukas (Morgan), Karston, Connor, Gretchen, Cameron, Rutger, Chandler, and Evangeline and four great grandchildren RaeLeigh, Louis, Caden and Elliot.

Memorial donations may be made to the US Department of Government Affairs (VA).

A memorial service celebrating the lives of both Howard and Linda Johnson will be held on November 2nd.