James 'Jim' Johnson, of Drayton, ND, passed away on February 9, 2025.
Jim was born on March 16, 1934 to Einar and Myrtle Johnson. He was born and raised in Kennedy, MN, and he eventually graduated from Kennedy High School. Jim proudly served in the Air Force, and during his time stationed in England, he met and fell in love with Beryl Nelson. They were married in 1958 in England. They also briefly lived in Germany before returning to the United States in 1959.
Jim worked as a custodian at the Kennedy school for some time before he and Beryl decided to move to Richfield, Minnesota. They laid down roots in Richfield, living there from 1969 to 1997. In 1997, they made the move back up north to Drayton, North Dakota. They lived there for several years together before Beryl unfortunately passed away in 2007.
Jim loved old cars and tractors. He, one of his sons, Rich, and his grandson, Nathan, even worked together to restore some old tractors in their spare time. It's no surprise that Jim had a love for farm equipment, as he was actually born on a farm back in 1934.
Jim is survived by his sons, Martin, Jeff, Richard, and Dean (Julie) Johnson; grandchildren, Annika and Nathan (McKenna) Johnson; and brother, Harvey Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Einar and Myrtle; his wife, Beryl; and his siblings, Milton Johnson, Phillip Johnson, Audrey Mechefski, Delbert Johnson, Lynnea Thomson, and Cecil Johnson.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in the Austin Funeral Chapel in Drayton. Visitation will be held in the chapel for an hour before the service. Arrangements are being handled by Austin Funeral Home.