Obituary for Sylvia Ann Johnson
Sylvia Ann Johnson, age 83, passed away at Hennepin County Medical Center, on May 30, 2023. Sylvia was born December 18, 1939, in Clearwater County, Minnesota, to Ernest and Jennie Bardwell. Sylvia attended Rydeen’s Grade School as a child and then attended Clearbrook High School, graduating in 1957. She was baptized and confirmed at Seljord Lutheran Church.
Sylvia met Dennis Johnson at a local dance and got married on February 20, 1960. They initially lived in Minneapolis, where she worked various different jobs, including Barry Blower Company, Northwestern Bell and Decca Records. She shared stories about her time at Decca, for example, meeting Patsy Cline when she came in for a recording session. Dennis and Sylvia lived in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and moved back up north to Bagley in 1969. They raised their three children in Bagley, then sold the family business when Dennis became a rural mail carrier. They lived in various cities for the next several years and Sylvia always quickly made friends wherever they were living. Sylvia was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 32. She always worked through the chronic pain with a great attitude and hope for healing.
Sylvia’s greatest pride and joy were her children, grandchildren and recently born great-granddaughter. Some of the activities Sylvia enjoyed were playing scrabble and doing puzzles. She was always willing to go on a shopping trip with anyone. One tradition that she enjoyed was making lefse with her children and grandchildren each year before the holidays. Sylvia always had a huge vegetable garden and canned many fruits and vegetables for her family. Her love of gardening is something she passed on to her children and grandchildren. Sylvia always enjoyed having a dog as a family pet and spoiled all of the dogs in the family. One way to sum up Sylvia’s personality was how her hospice nurse recently described her: as a feisty firecracker. An example of this is when she recently sent a music therapist away when he played “Home on the Range.”
Sylvia is survived by daughters- Twyla Hobbs and Heidi Forbes; grandchildren- Quinn (Liz) Hobbs, Claire (Garrett) Hobbs, Tiana Forbes, Katharine Johnson, and Emily Johnson; great-granddaughter -Madeline Hobbs; sister- Fern Jackson, brother- Glen (Donna) Bardwell; and sister-in-law- Jean Sundquist. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Sylvia was preceded in death by her husband- Dennis Johnson, son- Todd Johnson and grandson- Ty Forbes. She was also preceded in death by her sisters- Elaine Anderson, Violet Hagen, Norma Sims, Adeline Kaehn and brother- Ray Bardwell.
Funeral services will be at Elim Lutheran Brethren Church in Clearbook, Minnesota, on Saturday, June 10, at 10:00 a.m. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.