Phyllis Johnson

Phyllis Johnson was a woman who simply loved to sing. She had a beautiful voice, a soft, sweet and silky tone, which often could be heard echoing through her home. Phyllis was a wonderful songstress, and a loving sister, wife, mother, and friend. She is remembered for her voice, but she is cherished for the love she gave all those around her.

Phyllis' story began on a hot summer day in 1924, in the little town of Amery, Wisconsin, close to Minneapolis. Those were such exciting times in this country, the heyday of the Roaring 20s. On July 14, 1924, Oscar and Helen (Carlson) Halverson celebrated the birth of a baby girl named Phyllis.

Phyllis was joined by her sister Florence and brothers Charles and Milton in the family's Amery home, where she went to school. She grew up in a very musical family, where her natural vocal talent was encouraged, and she also learned to play the piano.

After graduating from Amery High in 1942, she began working at several different jobs, including at Wisconsin Hydroelectric Power, in California, as a prenatal counselor at a major hospital, and in Minneapolis, at Northern States Power Company.

Phyllis had been corresponding with a young soldier named Gordon Johnson, who was stationed in Italy after the war and was also a friend of Florence Halverson's fiance Pete Gehrman who encouraged him to write to her. When Gordon returned home in 1946, he wanted to meet the young woman he had been corresponding with. They began dating and were married on January 25, 1947, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Amery, on a bitterly cold day. it was 20 degrees below zero!

The newlyweds moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Gordon worked for Michigan Bell, and Phyllis worked for Consumers Power, from 1947-56. She and Gordon then celebrated the birth of their only child, Julie.

Sadly, Julie died in a car accident at just 16, in 1972. Phyllis and Gordon's lives were fulfilled in other ways, from their church where she sang, to her garden, to their travels around the country by auto, Hawaii and Europe. She and Gordon also spent the winter in Florida. Phyllis was very outgoing, thoughtful and considerate, which made her fast friends everywhere she went.

She bravely battled cancer for 12 years, from 1995 to 2007, enduring more than 400 chemotherapy treatments, buoyed by her faith, her friends and her family. Sadly, Phyllis lost her battle with cancer on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 in Grand Rapids, at the age of 82.

Phyllis was a wonderful woman, with a beautiful voice, and an even more beautiful spirit. She was a woman of great strength, great faith, and great love for all those around her. She will be greatly missed.

In addition to her daughter Julie, she was preceded in death by her parents Oscar and Helen Halverson, her sister Florence Gehrman, brother-in-law, Robert V. Johnson and sister-in-law Audrey Johnson. Surviving are her brothers, Charles (Marlys) Halverson of Rice Lake, WI and Milton (Rene) Halverson of Grand Rapids; sister-in-law Dorothy Johnson of Oklahoma City, OK and Joanne (Charles) Jorgensen of Rockford, brothers-in-law Charles (Marleen) Johnson of Ann Arbor and Richard (Janet) Johnson of Port Angeles, WA; several nieces and nephews and many dear friends. Funeral services will be held Monday at 11AM at St. James Lutheran Church, 2040 Oakwood NE with her pastor, Rev James Blain officiating. Friends may meet the family at Heritage Lifestory Funeral Homes Van Strien -Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield NE on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9PM at the church for one hour prior to the service on Monday. Interment Blythefield Memory Gardens. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 400 Ann NW, GR, MI 49504 or St. James Lutheran Church, 2040 Oakwood NE, GR, Mi 49505. You may sign the guest book by visiting www.lifestorynet.com