Ernie Lee Johnson

Ernie Lee Johnson, 85, passed away Thursday, April 21, 2016, at Midland Hospice Care in Topeka, KS.

He was born July 20, 1930, in Osage City, KS, son of Carl Raymond and Angelina Jeanette Johnson. He graduated from Osage City High School in 1947.

After serving in the United Sates Air Force, Ernie became a sheet metal worker and spent the majority of his career with McElroy’s Inc., in Topeka, Kansas. He also enjoyed working on the family farm.

Sundays were special for Ernie as he enjoyed sharing in the family traditions of church followed by lunch. The real fun in his life came on Sunday afternoons when he spent time with his grandchildren going up North, finding a low water bridge, sharing a new trick he’d learned, or just talking about how life was and how it should be going forward. He loved sharing jokes, traveling, and most of all, helping out his children and grandchildren with anything they needed.

Ernie was a member of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Osage City and served as a past church council member and property committee member. He was always there for his church, doing whatever was needed from maintenance and repairs to folding bulletins and running the elevator. Ernie also had a love for finding and sharing arrowheads and Indian artifacts and often shared his knowledge with the kids at local elementary schools.

Ernie was married to Irene Doris (Morgan) Johnson on December 7, 1952. She died on June 23, 2011. Her passing left a void in Ernie’s life. While Ernie was in the Air Force, he and Irene lived in Colorado, Missouri, and Massachusetts before moving back to Topeka in 1956. They returned to Ernie’s hometown of Osage City In 1970.

Survivors include his three daughters, Diana Johnson-Patterson (Garry) of Manhattan, Linda Fricke (David) of Topeka, and Alice Peterson (Todd) of Osage City, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, his sister, Pauline Lundgren, and his brother, Calvin Johnson.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 am, Monday, April 25, 2016 at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Osage City. Burial in Union Cemetery in Osage City. Family will be receiving friends, Sunday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church and sent in care of VanArsdale Funeral Chapel, 107 N. Sixth, Osage City, Kansas 66523.