Carol Johnson

After a mighty struggle with physical challenges and a long, passionate embrace of life's joys, Carol Johnson died at home at age 72 on Thursday, June 5, 2014, with her brother David standing beside her. She was born in Cando, North Dakota, on March 21, 1942, to Harry and Bertina Johnson, with two (overly) protective brothers, Dennis and Raymond, awaiting her. Later the family welcomed little brother David, with whom Carol built a beautiful and rare lifelong relationship steeped in mutual respect, support, and nurturing.

Carol's commitment to help others led to a career as a registered nurse. She began in the hospital in Wolf Point. Later, at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Carol worked the floor, ICU, day surgery, surgery, and finally became the cancer program coordinator. Not only did she provide well-informed, compassionate care to patients, she instinctively connected to and comforted families. Her open mind and Wolf Point upbringing taught her respect for Indian rituals and beliefs when Native American families gathered in the hospital, proof of her conviction that others' beliefs should never be impugned. Her own spirituality was deep and wide, inclusive, and dogma-free. It celebrated all of creation.

Though Carol focused her prodigious brain power on modern medicine, keeping her registered nurse's license current until her death, she was curious about and receptive to alternative healing: essential oils, massage, music, acupressure, rocks, and crystals. Once she advised a skeptical nephew to try lavender for acute headaches. To his surprise, it worked. Many family members and friends sought advice and second opinions from Carol, which she dispensed generously, mixing mainstream medicine seamlessly with possibilities from the world of "woo-woo." Even in her suffering, as the recipient of health care, she mentored and encouraged her caregivers, developing strong bonds particularly with Becky, Nicki, and Jessica, whom the family thanks for extraordinary help through hard times. Thanks also to Sally Mullen, Roz Hudgens, and John States.

Carol relished the role of aunt. Her nephews, Greg, Mark, and Bryon; niece, Stephanie; greats, Aryn, Kaylie, Madison, and Alex; and great-great niece, Ryleigh, were often greeted with tears of joy, along with a dazzling smile. Carol and David selected exactly the right gift or lesson at the perfect time: a set of Narnia books for Stephanie; stargazing through a telescope set up on the sidewalk with Stephanie and Bryon; escorting Greg to "Fiddler on the Roof"; sharing love and detailed knowledge of birds, flowers, books, art, moon phases; encouraging nephews and nieces to "think about things in a different way," according to Greg. He describes David's and Carol's impact as a "game changer," and Carol herself as "probably the last of the strong Lutheran women" he will encounter: "sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet – steel." Carol wanted to know not only what they were doing, but how they were doing, offering unconditional love, support, admiration, and sometimes advice.

Thoughtful and loyal, Carol nurtured her friendships as carefully as she tended her garden. Whether lifelong friends or new pals, when you basked in Carol's attention, you felt unique, funny, smart, and treasured. Leslie Berge met Carol when they were 20, both working at the Wolf Point Hospital. Carol attended the births of Leslie's two daughters, Xan and Sasha. Carol loved both girls boundlessly, merging blood and chosen family, using the common themes of books and kindness.

Renowned for her sense of humor, Carol loved to surrender to laughter, delighted when others joined her. A strong undercurrent of mischief led to funny surprises. At Greg's wedding to Kim, Carol and Stephanie were the only adult single females at the bouquet catching. Steph had been warned by brother Bryon that she better catch the bouquet. Standing primly side by side, Carol whispered to Steph: "On 3, run!" They did. That hilarious moment was captured in a wedding photo.

Carol zealously pursued her broad-ranging interests: cooking, reading, rocks, birds, stars, moon phases, flowers, herbs, The Farmer's Almanac, art, politics, watching with detailed knowledge basketball and football. Dedicated to old-fashioned, in-depth learning, Carol earned a BFA in printmaking while working nights as an R.N. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing, providing wedding songs for Dennis and Ann and her friend Leslie.

When various maladies prevented Carol from going out in search of adventure, she willfully kept her threshold for joy low, gratefully awed by an unusual rock or bird, a vibrantly colored flower or scarf, the perfect notebook or pencil, a song by Iz or Deva Premal, a well-articulated insight, a good episode of "Pea Green Boat," a kindness directed toward her. Carol has bequeathed this lesson of fighting hard to overcome obstacles so you can experience love and joy to all her survivors.

Carol's parents, brother Raymond, and dear friend Jim have forged ahead. Surviving are siblings Dennis and his wife, Ann; Raymond's widow, Carole Foy; and David. Offspring of siblings are Stephanie and her partner, Scott Gibson; Bryon, his wife, Wendy, and their daughter, Becky; Greg, his wife, Kim, and their children, Madison and Alex; Mark, his wife, Ann, and their children, Kaylie and Aryn, and her husband, Chase Crawford, and daughter, Ryleigh.

In honor of Carol's wishes, no service will be held; however, she and her family would appreciate any donation in her memory to KUFM (online at kufm.org or Montana Public Radio, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812-8064) or the Humane Society of Western Montana (online at myhswm.org or Development Officer, Humane Society of Western Montana, P.O. Box 1059, Missoula, MT 59806)
Read Carol Johnson's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.