Funeral services for Jeannine Johnson were held on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the Methodist Church in Gregory, SD, with Pastor Royal Archer officiating.
Music was provided by Geoff Smith, soloist, accompanied by Bette Fogel, pianist.
Bridget Syfie Clark was in charge of registration. Casket bearers were Justin Johnson, Joshua Johnson, Philip Johnson, Jeff Summy, Michael Johnson, and Andrew Johnson. Interment was in the Colome City Cemetery in Colome, SD. Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Jeannine Marie Johnson was born in the rural home of her parents Vern and Ernestine (Delfs) Kinzer in southern Tripp County, SD, at their homestead on Turtle Butte on April 7, 1930. She attended Riverview School for her elementary years and went to high school in Colome, graduating in 1948. After graduation, she attended Southern State Teachers College in Springfield, SD, and received her teaching degree in July of 1950 which allowed her to teach a couple years before she was married.
Jeannine started dating Walter Johnson during high school, and they were married on February 11, 1951. Jeannine and Walter lived in Rapid City, SD, where their first two children, Steven and Scott, were born, followed by Stuart in Sioux Falls some three years later. Her husband found employment with Northwestern Bell Telephone, and she had to learn to pack up and move every year or two as they moved him around. She moved from Rapid City to Huron, Huron to Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls to Omaha, Omaha to Des Moines, Des Moines to St. Paul, St. Paul back to Omaha for six months, Omaha to Boston, MA, Boston back to Des Moines, and Des Moines back to Omaha, where they stayed until moving to New Jersey until retirement.
She was a member of the Gregory United Methodist Church after they moved back to South Dakota in 1990, settling on a small farm in Gregory County.
After retiring to Gregory, Jeannine loved attending Red Hat Ladies functions, happy hours with friends at local taverns, and attending services at United Methodist Church. She loved gardening, ceramics, tole painting, sewing, crocheting, quilting, and collecting depression era glassware. She was also an avid wildlife lover and the Gregory acreage allowed for plenty of viewing. As a team, Jeannine and her sister Leila, were experts at entering sweepstakes; their kids and grands learned to expect some nice presents that would arrive unexpectedly on many occasions.
Jeannine worked as an administrative assistant for Ruan and Iowa Methodist Hospital, associate at Sarah Coventry Jewelry, and did most of the coursework to become an RN until she lost interest in that career.
She lived semi-independently until two years before her passing, at which time she moved to Spurgeon Manor, in Dallas Center, IA, for the last two years of her life.
Jeannine is survived by her children: Scott A. Johnson (Patricia Mount) (NJ) and Stuart W. Johnson (Stacy Brenton) (IA); seven grandchildren: Sara Summy, Philip Johnson, Michael Johnson, Justin Johnson, Emily Johnson, Joshua Johnson and Andrew Johnson; eight great-grandchildren; sister Diana Syfie; brother Darol Kinzer; plus many nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.
Jeannine was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Walter in 2016; son Steven Johnson in 2019; sister Leila; brothers Ronald and Russel Kinzer; sisters-in-law Evelyn Kinzer, Marjorie Kinzer, Erna Kinzer, Mary Johnson, Marge Johnson, Anne Kavan, Idalee Kaiser, and Delores Johnson; brothers-in-law George Syfie, Harold Johnson, Ray Johnson, Harold Kavan, Arthur (Bud) Kaiser, and Ken Adams.
