Manetta Johnson

Manetta Johnson, age 94, of Wheaton, Minnesota passed away Monday, July 6, 2020 at the Traverse Care Center in Wheaton.

Manetta Johnson was born as Manetta Inez Beyer on August 27, 1925 in the small farming village of Wheaton, Minnesota. She was baptized into God’s kingdom on November 22, 1925. She grew up there, went to school, met & married the love of her life, Leroy Johnson on August 13, 1944. Together they raised 3 children, Roger, Donna & Brent, and spent all their years working on the farm.  Manetta was a gentle and kind soul, hardworking and generous.  She was homemaker extraordinaire, bookkeeper and business manager of the farm, baker, and seamstress. She was beautiful, well dressed at all times, not a hair out of place. Her laughter was contagious, her engaging smile could light up your entire day. She designed and sewed all of her own clothes, as well as her children’s, everything from wedding dresses to doll clothes.  She enjoyed crocheting baby blankets and making quilts for everyone in the family.

Her hospitality was legendary, always welcoming and treating everyone to homemade bread, caramel rolls, chocolate chip cookies and of course her meatballs & fried chicken. Manetta enjoyed gardening and mowing the huge farm yard, canning pickles & beans, freezing fresh peaches and sweet corn, making rhubarb upside down cake and creamed asparagus.  All summer long she worked to give her family the simple gifts of these fresh vegetables to be enjoyed and savored during the long winter months, during Holiday and birthday gatherings. Her greatest joy was being around her grandchildren, and later her great-grandchildren and just the simple grace of waking to early sunrises on the farm. She loved to walk every day, she loved to read books long into the night.  In later years she worked in town, sewing and mending clothes at the thrift shop for those in need.

Manetta was active in her church, never missing worship or daily devotions, never a day without reading the Bible. She always helped when needed for funerals, weddings, and anniversaries. This faith would sustain her when Leroy became sick with cancer.  She would have a new role as nurse and care giver in the months of his suffering, always being by his side until he was safe in heaven. She would become loving daughter and care giver to her own mother when Clara could no longer care for herself. Manetta would stay the course and love her till the end, till Clara was safe in heaven as well. Her hardest journey of all would come in her later life, when faith and determination would again be put to the test as she struggled and suffered with lewy body dementia for many years.  Her strength, dignity, and independence would help her in the battle, and her faith tucked deep in her soul, would preserve and carry her to eternal life and forever peace. With roles reversed and Manetta as a guiding example, her family would now become her care giver, and would stand beside her, loving her until she was safe in heaven as she had done for so many others before her. The race was won, the journey at an end.

She was well loved and respected in the community, well loved and admired in her family.  For those of us who would call her wife, daughter, sister, mom, mother-in-law, grandma, great-grandma, friend will forever treasure her simple gift of love and Christian faith. God’s promises can never be taken away from us, no matter what difficulties and suffering we will have in life.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate”, Prov. 31:30-31. This is the legacy she has written upon our hearts to remember and sustain us through our own lives.  May she forever rest in peace in the arms of her Savior, Jesus our Lord. Well done good & faithful servant, a “life well lived” under God’s grace and mercy.

Manetta is survived by three children: Roger Johnson of Wheaton; Donna (Bill) Piper of Fargo, ND: and Brent (Barb) Johnson of Dalton, MN; nine grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Manetta was preceded in death by her parents and sister Jean Fix.

A private family graveside service was held Saturday, July 11, 2020 at St. John Lutheran Cemetery, rural Wheaton with Rev. Gerald Goetz officiating.