Helen Irene Johnson

Our loving and beloved mother Helen Johnson passed away peacefully on September 15th, 2025. She was born at home on the family farm near Newburg in Fillmore County, MN on September 4th, 1931, a busy day as her mother was also making meals for a crew of threshers. She grew up with three sisters and a brother during the Great Depression. As she would often say, "we were poor but we kids didn't know it and there was always somebody who was worse off."

The family eventually sold the farm and moved to Austin MN where Mom attended Austin High School, graduating in 1949. The typing and organizational skills that she learned at AHS would serve her well throughout her life.

In the early 1950s she embarked on a cross-country car trip to California with three girl friends from high school. They all ended up staying in or near San Diego. Mom worked as a secretary at the engineering offices of Paul Chang then began her long career as a legal secretary at the law offices of Higgs, Fletcher and Mack from which she would eventually retire.

Around this time she met her dear husband Lew Johnson at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in North Park. They were married there in 1958, a marriage that would last 67 years until Dad passed away just three weeks before Mom.

She is survived by sons Mark (Rebecca Mumaw) Johnson and Erik (Maria) Johnson, sister Sharon (Ed) Hill and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A memorial for both Helen and Lew will be held in Austin, MN and San Diego CA at a date to be determined.