Virgil Dean Johnson, age 81, of Sac City, IA, passed away on Sunday, September 13, 2015, at his home. Virgil was born on May 12, 1934, to parents Alve and Gladys (Fyfe) Johnson in Fonda, IA. He attended country school and then graduated from Sac Community High School in 1952.
On September 5, 1953, Virgil married his bride of 61 years, Ann Jarvis at the First Baptist Church in Sac City. This union was blessed with three children: Michael, David, and Dianne. Following a brief relocation to California, Virgil followed his father and grandfathers in to the family farming business. He moved his growing family to Burnside, IA and then to Paton, IA before settling on a farm north east of Sac City where Virgil continued farming with sons, Michael and David, until his retirement.
He and his wife moved to their “Praise the Lord” house in 2000, where they enjoyed many years of watching the birds, deer, turkeys, squirrels and woodland creatures. Virgil enjoyed creative engineering, woodworking, photography, hunting and fishing. He loved spending time with his family and friends and mentoring young people. Virgil was very active in the First Baptist Church of Sac City and a founding member of the Faith Bible Church located on Main Street in Sac City. Virgil was a 4-H leader for the Douglas Go Getters, and was apart of many clubs and organizations like the Lions Club, Pork Producers, and Beef Producers. He will be dearly missed by those who knew and loved him.
Left to celebrate his life are his sons: Michael Johnson and David Johnson of Sac City, IA; daughter Dianne (Mark) McWhirter of The Colony, TX; grandchildren: Matt Johnson of Sac City, IA, Lisa (Chris) Johnson-Smith of Fort Dodge, IA, Ashley (Dustin) Lamb and Brittany (Brenton) Price of Wichita Falls, TX; great-grandchildren: Maddie, Bradley, Kieler, and Ashton Smith, Ashtin and Annie Lamb, Liam Caton; brothers and sisters-in-law: Don and Peggy (Jarvis) Purdy of Des Moines, IA, Jim Vincent of Sac City, IA, Barbara Bechler of Sac City, IA, Colleen Hampton of Knoxville, IA, Carolyn (John) Bechler-Meng of Prairie du Chien, WI; numerous loved nieces, nephews, extended family members, friends and special family friend Shirley Wessell.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife Ann, parents Alve and Gladys Johnson, brother Darryl Johnson, sister Carol (Johnson) Vincent, mothers and fathers-in-law: Dorothy and Lawrence Jarvis, Merle and Neva Bechler, brothers and sisters-in-law: Janet and Ed Hutchinson, Bud and Joan Crab, Cordis Bechler, Jack Harms and Jerry Harms.
