Shirley E. Johnston

Shirley E. (Mrs. Ralph) Johnston, age 85 of Clark, formerly of the Bradley community died early Sunday morning in a Watertown hospital after a brief illness. Funeral services will be held on Friday at 1PM in the St. Paul Lutheran Church at Clark with the Reverend Roger Semmler officiating. Burial will be in the Prairie Hill Cemetery at Bradley. Visitation hours will be on Thursday from 5-7 PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and 2 hours preceding services at the Church on Friday. She was born on May 28, 1920 in Alexandria, SD, the daughter of Roy and Mayme ( Sudbery) Bowers. After graduating from Parkston High School in 1938, she attended and graduated from Mitchell Business College. Her first secretarial job was for the Coca Cola Bottling Company in Mitchell, SD. She then joined the civil service and moved to Washington, DC where she worked for the federal government in the war department. On June 5, 1941 she was united in marriage to Ralph G. Johnston at Luverne, MN. They lived in Mitchell, SD until he joined the civil service and they moved to Fort Peck, Montana. After Ralph was drafted into the Army, Shirley followed him moving to various communities where he was trained and stationed. After Ralph completed his military service, they settled in Bradley, SD where they farmed and started a business: The Modern Lockers Meat Plant. In addition to being a mother to four boys, Shirley was a hard worker inside their home, outside at the farmstead and also at the locker plant. In 1970, they sold the locker plant and moved to West Fargo, ND where Ralph worked as a federal food inspector for the USDA. While living in West Fargo, Shirley spent her time on a variety of activities including sewing, taking community education classes and bowling. In 1982 he retired and they returned to South Dakota building a home in Clark, where they have spent some of the happiest days of their lives. She was an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, its womens groups, the WELCA and Mary Circle. She enjoyed sewing, cooking, reading and staying current with her familys activities. Shirley will long be remembered for her pie baking, especially the Nightshade Pie. Grateful for having shared in her life is her husband of 64 years, Ralph Johnston of Clark, four sons, Dennis Johnston and wife Maxine of Pierre, Dean Johnston and wife Karen of Lake Elmo, MN, David Johnston and wife Ellen of Hanska, MN and Darrel Johnston and wife Rose Ann of Sioux Falls, 12 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. She also leaves siblings Warren Green of Waubay, SD and Joan (Green) Fraiser of Minneapolis, MN. Condolences can be emailed to www.furnessfuneralhome.com