Verla A. Johnson

Mrs. Verla A. Johnson, age 83 of Clark, widow of Ernest "Ernie" Johnson, died late Saturday night in a Watertown hospital after a brief illness. Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 10:30 AM in the St. Paul Lutheran Church at Clark with the Reverend Roger Semmler officiating. Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. Casketbearers will be her grandchildren and their spouses. Music will be provided by Rosella Hanson and David Warkenthien. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 6-8 PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and after 9AM on Thursday at the Church. She was born on September 17, 1921 at Willow Lake, SD, the daughter of Peter and Frances (Lamb) Trevithick. She attended county school northwest of Willow Lake and was a 1939 graduate of Willow Lake High School. After a 1-year attendance at Northern Normal in Aberdeen she began a career in teaching that would span some 37 years. Her first teaching assignment was at a county school north of Naples where she taught for 2 years and then to the Wallen School in Garfield Township northwest of Clark for 9 years. Following the stint at the Garfield School she taught in Willow Lake for 3 years and then became an elementary teacher in the Clark School for 23 years. On January 24, 1942 she was united in marriage to Ernest 'Ernie' Johnson at Sioux Falls. The couple farmed near Naples and Vienna until the mid 1940's when they moved to a farm west of Clark. In 1962 they moved into Clark. Mr. Johnson died on May 28, 1996. As mentioned earlier, Verla had obtained her teaching certificate from Northern Normal in Aberdeen in 1940. She continued teaching for many years and also attended college in Aberdeen during the summer and in 1965, graduated from Northern State College in Aberdeen with a college degree in elementary education, something she was very proud of. Besides her love of education and children, she enjoyed countless hours of embroidery; in fact many of you here today probably own something that she has worked on. She was a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church at Clark serving as a Sunday school teacher and served on the council. Verla was also active in the WELCA, the Mary Circle and the sewing group. In the community she was a 38-year member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the Merry Go Round Extension Club. Grateful for having shared in her life are her sons, Errol Johnson and wife Gladys of Estelline and Delmyn Johnson and wife Arlys of Sioux Falls, five grandchildren, Terri Gray and husband Rodney, Darrin Johnson and wife Melanie, Randy Johnson and wife Angie and Shannon and Ryan Johnson and 9 great-grandchildren. Verla also leaves a special niece, Marivonne Bastian of Clark. Preceding her in death were her parents, husband Ernie, a brother Lester Trevithick and sisters, Pearl Larson and Mabel Warkenthien. Email condolences can be sent to www.furnessfuneralhome.com