Obituary of Beryl Johnson

A funeral service for Beryl Johnson, age 93, of Milford, will be held at 2 pm, Friday, January 31, 2020, at Faith Community Church in Milford. Interment will be at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Visitation will begin at 1 pm at the church until service time. Beryl Aileen Johnson was born to Roy and Marietta Bowden, May 18, 1926 in Lake Park, Iowa. Beryl was the oldest of six children and often took on a mothering role to her younger siblings. Beryl met her future husband Lyle while growing up in Lake Park. She graduated from the Lake Park School at the age of sixteen. Soon after graduation, she decided to spread her wings and moved to Washington D.C. She spent one year working for the FBI as a Fingerprint Analyzer under Director J. Edgar Hoover. While there, Beryl was afflicted with appendicitis and her feelings for Lyle. Surgery took care of the appendicitis and she was very proud of her personal letters from Director J. Edgar Hoover wishing her a speedy recovery. A move back to Lake Park took care of her longing for Lyle. Beryl and Lyle were married September 5th, 1944 in Worthington, Minnesota. To this union, seven children were born. Jeanette, Cheri, Vicki, Larry, Lila, Brenda, and Sheila. Though not said verbally, the love Beryl and Lyle felt for their children was never in doubt. While raising her children, Beryl worked 35 years for Berkley and Company. She started in production and moved to customer service until she retired at the age of 72. Beryl’s life was full of ebbs and flows. Whatever came her way, she took it head on. Her resilience, strength, and positive attitude were unsurpassed. She often said, “I may not have much money, but I feel like a very rich woman.” Beryl was an avid reader and loved poetry. One of her favorites was the last verse of Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant “So live, that when thy summons comes to join The innumerable caravan, that moves To that mysterious realm, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him and lies down to pleasant dreams.” Beryl’s memory is cherished by her children Cheri (Marv), Vicki (Jim), Larry, Lila (Gary), Brenda (Ed), Sheila (Mark). Her nineteen grandchildren; Dawn Naatjes, Ryan Rubeck, Chad DeWaard, Alisa Young, Tina Goertzen, Jamie Peterson, Troy Billingsley, Ross Johnson, Dana Loyd, Jason Delaney, Ross Packebush, Joel Packebush, Meagan Barnhart, Whitney Hemmer, Kelli Norman, Brian Norman, Tully Reed and Tessa Reed; twenty-eight great-grandchildren and 10 great-great grandchildren, sisters Joan Anderson, Mabel Rush, Sonja Bruns and Mary Miller, many nieces, nephews and cousins, her beloved dog Lily and special neighbors Sam and Luanne Straub and Mike and Laura Paper. Beryl passed away Monday, January 27th, 2020 at the age of 93. She is preceded in death by her husband Lyle, their daughter Jeanette, grandchild Marcia Lyn Osberg, great-grandchild Roman Rubeck, parents Roy and Marietta Bowden and her brother Lyle. Beryl’s family thanks the doctors and nurses at Avera Medical and Lakes Regional Hospice for taking such loving care of their beautiful mother.