Joanne Johnson, 89, of Aneta, North Dakota, passed away Saturday, April 2, 2022, at Northwood Deaconess Health Center in Northwood, North Dakota.
A visitation was Friday, April 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. with a 7 p.m. prayer service at the church. A funeral service was at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 9, 2022, at Sundahl Lutheran Church in Aneta. Burial was at Silent Hill Cemetery, rural Aneta.
Joanne Lusty was born June 14, 1932, at rural Bemidji near Solway, Minnesota. She was the fifth child of William and Sophia (Rice) Lusty. When she was age 3, the family moved to rural Mentor, Minnesota. She attended LaBelle country school through fifth grade and then went to school in Mentor. Joanne was confirmed in the Mentor Lutheran Church. Her family moved to Oslo, Minnesota, and she graduated from Oslo High School in 1950.
After graduation, Joanne moved to Aneta. She attended hairdressing school in Fargo in 1951 and worked in hair salons in Mayville and Aneta throughout the years.
In 1951 Joanne married the love of her life, Freeman Johnson. She became a farm wife and raised her family in Ora township, Randall in 1953, Jeffrey in 1955, Mary in 1961, and Nancy in 1963. Her nephews, Jon and Joe Lusty, lost their parents, Gorden and Bev (Berman) Lusty and came to live with them in 1976. All the children graduated from Aneta High School. Freeman passed away in 2003 and Joanne continued to live on the farm for 10 years before moving into an apartment in Aneta in 2013.
Joanne taught Sunday School for 25 years and served on the Sundahl Church Council as treasurer and financial/secretary. She wintered in Texas and Arizona for 28 years. Joanne’s faith in the Lord was strong and she was witnessing to people right up until her death. She was active in the Aneta American Legion and Silent Hill Cemetery Auxiliary, homemakers, and other community activities. After her children grew up, she started Joanne’s Wearable Art and attended many craft shows.
Survivors include her sons Randy (Debbie) of Aneta and Jeff (Sheri Hallgren) of Hatton, North Dakota; daughters Mary (Doug) Mahan, McVille, North Dakota, and Nancy (Cory) Berg, Pierre, South Dakota; nephews Jon (Deb) Lusty, Luverne, and Joe Lusty, West Fargo, North Dakota; brother David Lusty, Dewitt, Minnesota; sisters-in-law Lu Lusty, Minot, North Dakota, and Arlene Eisenbeis, Hillsboro, North Dakota; grandchildren Amy (Lane), Emily (Yohanna), Isaiah (Torrie), Stacey (John), Patrick, Lindsey (Jon), Marisa (Chris), Craig (Kelly), Alexa (Scott), Connor, Katie, Emma, and Corbin; great-grandchildren Lyric, Talia, Sorren, Cecelia, Sydney, Chance, Zane, Ava, Otto, Carson, Anika, Brenden, Teagan, Tucker, Jensen, Lillie, Madison, Elias, Rania, Mya, and one on the way; and several nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death was her sister, Adeline, in 1986; brother Eber, killed in World War II in 1943; brother Gorden in 1976 at the age of 51; brother Gene in 2020; her mother, Sophia, in 1976; and her father, William, in 1989.
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