Robert (Bob) Cecil Johnson was born on a farm southeast of Lucas, SD, on December 31, 1931, and passed away on Sunday, March 6, 2016, at the age of 84. Bob had been hospitalized in Mitchell, Sioux Falls and Gregory since July 17, 2015, with serious health issues and underwent many surgeries prior to his death at the Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.
He was the youngest of nine children born to Charles and Olive (Fish) Johnson. He grew up on the family farm and attended schools in the Lucas area. On November 13, 1952, at the age of 20, he enlisted in the Army at Ft. Campbell, KY. During the next two years, Bob was stationed at several military bases. Pvt. Johnson completed an Airborne course at Fort Benning, Georgia. The course was designed to train personnel from all arms and branches of the service as qualified chutists. Bob was also stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia where he took further training in Airborne tactics. Bob received several medals and badges during this time. He was honorably discharged on November 12, 1954.
After returning from the service, he returned home to work with his father and mother, and when his father passed away on February 11, 1966, he took over the family farm. Bob never married but put his heart into the farm. Bob traveled to many states visiting his extended family. He once took a fishing trip to the Florida Everglades with a childhood friend and travelled to Tennessee many times to visit his brother, Almon. His biggest passion was his Hereford cattle and horses. He enjoyed attending many cattle sales, bull sales and rodeos all around the region.
For many years each fall, Bob hosted cowboys from Minnesota making life-long friends. He loved horses. After retiring from the farm and moving to a home near Gregory, SD with his horses, he started building horse-drawn wagons –a hobby that he enjoyed greatly. He loved entering them in local parades and giving rides. Bob was always willing to help anyone, and was a great neighbor to many. He enjoyed many friends and family over the years and especially enjoyed their visits in the hospital during his last few months.
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