••• Wallace Millford Johnson ….
••• Wallace Millford Johnson
1925-2024 Wallace “Wally” Milford Johnson was born March 14, 1925, at 6:30 p.m., in Lake Sarah Township, Minnesota, to Oliver G. and Esther C. Johnson.
Wally was raised in the small farm town of Garvin, Minnesota. Throughout his school days and up until the time he went to the Navy, Wally worked on his father’s farm.
Wally enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 and spent most of his enlistment in the Aleutian Islands. Wally was discharged in 1945 and returned to Minnesota.
Wally married his wife of 71 years, Frances Leona Onstad, not long after his return home on Dec. 3, 1949, in the Mission Church of Balaton, Minnesota. Wally met Frances when she was working at a summer resort near his hometown of Garvin. Within two weeks of exchanging vows, Wally and Fran left the cold Midwest for sunny Southern California. Wally worked at the Studebaker plant with his cousin Don for a brief time before starting with Sears in September of 1954. Wally was a very good technician but is best known for his sales ability, reaching a best in 1968 of 1,800 boxes of detergent for about $9,000, equivalent to an unbelievable $81,000 in 2024.
Wally spent the greater portion of his leisure hours during the last 30 years playing golf and pool five days a week with his many friends at Leisure World.
Wally attained the ultimate goal of most golfers, a Hole in One, many times at the Turtle Lake Golf Course in Leisure World. But he was proudest of the Hole in One at the Skylinks golf course in Long Beach, on the 228-yard, 11th hole on Sept. 25, 1960.
Wally participated in many golf and pool tournaments, where his teams consistently won.
One of Wally’s favorite things to do, besides traveling to new and interesting places, was singing and playing his guitar. Wally and Frances sang hundreds of times over the last 25 years for the Leisure World Baptist, Assemblies of God, Pentecostal Churches and The Salvation Army. Wally and Frances attended Leisure World Baptist Church, where he functioned as a deacon for the last several years.
Wally and Frances, along with many friends and relatives, went on many curises to the Caribbean, Alaska, the Mediterranean and through the Panama Canal. They also took many trips to other countries including Norway, Sweden, Russia, Germany and Israel. They also drove their camper up the Alcan highway to Alaska and to most national parks.
Wally lived with and loved his wife, Fran, up until the time of her peaceful passing at home on Sept. 18, 2021. Wally lived on his own for the remaining three years and passed away on Oct. 6, 2024.
Wally leaves behind his two sons Kim and Tab, their wives Pam and Sarah, four grandkids, six great-grandkids and countless friends, who all take comfort knowing he is with his Lord and savior, Jesus, who died for our sins and was raised from the dead by God the Father. It is a comfort to family members and gives us faith and hope that we will all see him again.
