Sherman Clarence Johnson, 88

Sherman Clarence Johnson, 88, a longtime resident of Kalispell and Whitefish, passed away suddenly on Jan. 31, 2008, in Yuma, Ariz.

Sherman is survived by his son, Sherman Lee Johnson of Reardon, Wash.; five siblings, Ronald and Paul Johnson, Fern Fergusson, Esther Hunter and Wanda Brownell; his sister-in-law, Lucille Koser of Kalispell; and many nieces and nephews in Montana and Washington.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, Beatrice (in 1999), two brothers and one sister.

Sherman was born March 5, 1919, in McIntosh, Minn., and raised in a family of nine children. He moved to Grand Forks, N.D., where he graduated from high school.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army prior to World War II and served in the Army Transportation Corp. He said ironically that he had more sea time than his three brothers combined, all of whom were in the Navy. Many of those sea miles were during the height of the German submarine attacks on allied shipping in the North Sea and Sherman had many stories about surviving those dangerous passages.

After the war, he attended college in Missoula and graduated with a degree in business administration. He moved to Whitefish, and in 1953, married Beatrice Tande.

He was employed briefly by Nelson Hardware in Whitefish and then went to work for Anaconda Aluminum in Columbia Falls from 1955 until his retirement. He held several positions at the aluminum plant, the last being construction manager for the newest pot lines. Following his retirement from Anaconda Aluminum he worked for Puget Sound Power & Light as construction project superintendent for the Colstrip coal generating plants 1 through 4. After his second retirement, he purchased a home in Kalispell and later a winter home in Yuma.

Sherman was an active member of the Whitefish community where he served on the school board for several years and was also a Little League baseball coach for many seasons. His family will always cherish the memories of the many camping and fishing trips that they shared with him to Bowman and Kintla lakes. He was a caring father, uncle, brother and friend and his selfless acts of kindness and family devotion will be treasured.

Sherman was an avid reader his entire life and will always be remembered for his sharp mind and wit. He will be greatly missed by his family and many, many friends. There is no memorial service planned at this time.