Maynard Johnson

Sibley, IA Maynard Johnson, age 93 of Sibley died Wednesday evening, July 11, 2007 at the Community Memorial Health Center in Hartley, IA . Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at United Methodist Church in Sibley with Rev. Douglas Harding, officiating. Burial will be in the Holman Township Cemetery at Sibley, IA. Visitation with family present will be one hour before services at the United Methodist Church is Sibley, IA. Maynard Johnson was born December 17, 1913 the son of Matthew and Gerti (Van Klie) Johnson on the family farm near Cloverdale, Iowa. He attended country school near Cloverdale. For a short time in the 1930s Maynard rode the rails with his uncle and saw much of the country working along the way at various jobs. He entered the Army Aircorp at the beginning of WWII and spent the war with the Eighth Airforce in England working with munitions and servicing of the B-17 Bomber. He was honorably discharged in 1945 at the rank of Staff Sergeant. This led to a love of aviation and a lifetime of enjoyment and many can thank Maynard for their first airplane ride when he took them up in his own airplane, a Cessna 120. After the war Maynard returned to Iowa and farmed in the area. He was united in marriage to Dorothy Marco on the 5th of May, 1951 in The Bigelow Methodist Church. The couple made their home and farmed in the Sibley, Sheldon and Ocheyedan areas until their retirement in 1978. From 1978 until 1983 the couple managed the VFW in Sibley. Maynard and Dorothy loved to fish together. They would often take fishing trips, some of which were quite a distance into northern Minnesota. He was known to be very knowledgeable of the underwater terrain of his favorite lakes, and could tell exactly where he was and what was under the boat, well before there was such a thing as a depth finder. Maynard also loved to take kids fishing. Many of his nieces and nephews will cherish their memories of fishing with their uncle Maynard. He was also quite a conversationalist. Maynard could strike up a conversation and visit with almost anyone. He truly loved people and will be greatly missed. This past Wednesday Maynard died at the Community Memorial Health Center in Harley, Iowa at the age of 93. Maynard Johnson is survived by his brother Harold Johnson of Bigelow, MN. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 52 years Dorothy; 2 sisters Viola Tutje and Vesta Larson; 2 brothers, Vernon Johnson and John Johnson.