Kenneth Robert Johnson

KENNETH ROBERT JOHNSON Funeral services for longtime Cortez resident, Kenneth Robert Johnson will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 8 at Ertel Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow at the Cortez Cemetery. A reception will be held at the Cortez Recreation Center following the committal service and everyone is welcomed. Kenneth Robert Johnson passed away at his home in Cortez on June 30, 2010. He was born July 31, 1922 in Belle Prairie, Minn. to Bernard Johnson and Ruth (Peterson) Johnson, the second of four children. Ken was preceded in death by his brother, Clarence Johnson and his sister, Evelyn (Johnson) Hawkins, and is survived by his sister, Marion (Johnson) Jorgensen. The Johnson family relocated to Carson, Calif. in 1926 where they purchased a few acres to build their home. Ken graduated in 1940 from Banning High School and at the age of 19 he went to work for The Superior Oil Company in Torrance, Calif. On January 7, 1942 Ken married the love of his life, Ona Lee “Toby” Moore and they had two children, Leona “Lee” and Russell. Ken was promoted at work and the family relocated to Cortez in 1957. The Johnson family made Cortez their home and Ken never tired of exploring the area. Toby passed away on July 19, 2004. While employed with The Superior Oil Company, Ken joined the U.S. Coast Guard and served from 1942 to 1945 where he was a sonar man stationed aboard the USS Haida, a coast guard cutter stationed off of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. When the war was over he returned back to work with The Superior Oil Company until his retirement in 1983. Ken was a life member of the Cortez Elks Club and he was a member of the American Legion. Ken served on the Board of Adjustments for the City of Cortez and was a volunteer at the Cortez Welcome Center. Ken loved to ski, play golf, hunt and fish. His great passion was going on long-range fishing trips where he would be out at sea for 10-16 days. He made his last long-range trip at the age of 86 and had booked another 14-day trip for this October. Ken is survived by his daughter Leona “Lee” (Johnson) Sparks and husband, Gene, of Grand Junction, Colo.; son Russell Johnson and wife, Suzanne (Austin) of Corpus Christi, Texas; five grandchildren and nine great grandchildren, Jeff and Angie (Heronema) Sparks and their children, Colter and Abigail, Scott and Brandi Sparks and daughter, Hannah, Michelle (Johnson) Patton and husband, Jeremy, her children, Kristyna and Mitchell Thomas, Kelli (Sparks) Kessell and son, Max, and Jennifer (Sparks)Carter and husband, Tom and their children, Rylan, Reese and Brecken. Ken is survived by many nieces and nephews and a lifetime of friends. Kenneth Robert Johnson was truly a good man; he will be missed by many. Memorial contributions can be made in memory of Ken Johnson with Hospice of Montezuma, PO Box 740, Cortez, Colo. 81321