Allan Baler Leo Andrew Johnson, 84

Allan "Baler" Leo Andrew Johnson, 84, a God loving, good-natured father and mentor, died a natural death in his Evergreen home on July 19, 2010. Allan was born June 1, 1926, to Mike Johnson and Clara Ida Johnsen, first generation immigrant farmers from Denmark. They settled at Hector, Minn., and had four sons. Allan was the youngest and was preceded in death by Lester, Wayne and Ivan. Allan's youth and adolescence were spent on the farm at Hector. In high school he lettered in eight-man football. In 1971 he received his high school diploma in Libby, after he and his wife completed their GED together. He had left his education early in Hector in order to enlist in the Navy from 1944 through 1946. In the Navy he attained the rank of seaman first class on the supply ship LST 539 during a campaign to the Republic of the Philippines. For his service to the Armed Forces he received an honorable discharge. After his time in the military, Allan returned to Minnesota and, shortly after, started a custom grain harvesting business that kept him busy traveling from Oklahoma to the Dakotas and Montana, harvesting grain with his combine that he carried on his flatbed truck. His friends started to call him Baler. On one of his lunch breaks, he met Gloria May Gange in Redfield, S.D., where she was employed as a waitress; he took her home. They were married Dec. 2, 1951. Allan remained a devoted husband to Gloria for 42 years. They were physically separated by her death on Feb. 5, 1994. Gloria was the oldest of seven children born to Alfred and Pearl Gange. Allan and Gloria had one son, Larry, born Nov. 11, 1952, in Huron, S.D. Allan was a union member attached to the Operator Engineers and was employed as a heavy equipment operator for the Army Corps of Engineers until 1972. His profession and expertise were in operating all types and sizes of cranes. He participated in the construction of numerous dam projects throughout the central and western United States: Oahe in South Dakota; Morrow Point in Colorado; Boundary in Washington; Libby in Montana; and Lower Granite in Washington. He and Gloria moved to Colstrip in 1973 and Allan was involved with the construction of the cranes that remove the overburden of soil from the coal veins. After Colstrip they moved to Big Lake, Minn., and opened the You Make It arts and craft store in Monticello, Minn., with long time friends, Pat and Delbert Stimpson. After a number of successful years in retail, they moved to Murrieta Hot Springs in Riverside County, Calif., where they joined Larry and his family at the Polarity Institute. At the Institute he worked as an auto mechanic. He retired in Hemet, Calif., moving to Kalispell in 1994 to join Larry and his family after Gloria's death. He never remarried. In Kalispell, he assisted in the maintenance of Larry's family business, Mountain Valley Foods. He remained active. Allan lived life on his own terms. Allan's final residence was in Evergreen, where he occupied his remaining years with daily visits to family and friends debating current news events with them. He maintained his own home and automobile. Allan believed in serving his fellow man. He was a Shriner and a very proud 32nd degree Mason with 50 years of involvement. He was the paternal influence in Larry's achieving Eagle in the Boy Scouts of America. He passed on wisdom that goes with helping our neighbors. Survivors include his son, Larry, and his wife, Ananda; daughter-in-law, Anais Starr; granddaughters, Patricia and Lorien; great-grandchildren, Evan and Hailey; and close friend, Lorraine McKenna, of Wilbur, Wash. The surviving family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home and Crematory of Kalispell, Stevensons Funeral Home of Forsyth, the office of Dr. Marise Johnson, the staff at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, the Forsyth Masonic Lodge, the United States Armed Forces, and all those that helped to bring comfort to Allan in his final days. All correspondence may be directed to 1-406-756-1131. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m., Aug. 28, at the grave site in Forsyth. Services will include Masonic rites and a military 21-gun salute honoring his services. He will share a common grave marker with his wife. May God bless him and may he rest in peace. In Jesus name, Amen.