Anna Jean (A. J.) Johnson

Anna Jean (A. J.) Johnson died Feb. 11 at her home in Polson of natural causes. She was born August 1, 1923 to John Wesley and Rose Bleth Hanson at St. Joseph’s Hospital, in Minot, N.D. A. J. had two older brothers. Her early schooling was in the Minot school system.  When A. J. was 16 years old, the family moved to Missoula. There she finished high school and entered the University of Montana the fall of 1941. The war brought many changes to the campus. There were fewer students and they were 99 percent female. Her older brother, Wes, a student at the school of mines, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He was a navigator and was shot down in a B-17 in January of 1943. He remains a M. I. A. Her brother, Bruce, a law student at the University of Montana, also entered the Air Force. In April of 1944 he was shot down over northern Italy and was a guest of the German government at the P. O. W. camp Stalag Luft #3 until his release by Patton’s third army. Anna Jean received her B. A. in 1945 and her M. A. in 1947. She was employed by the University as a psychometrician in the testing field. In 1951 she was employed by The Electrical Shop in Missoula as a secretary-bookkeeper, where she worked for 22 years. On March 6 of 1954, Anna Jean married Lyle I. Johnson. They enjoyed fishing and bird hunting down the Bitterroot and in the Flathead area. They also enjoyed working on their cabin at Indian Bay on Rocky Point on the Flathead Lake.  A. J. and her husband enjoyed traveling many places around the world, and spending vacation time in the Hawaiian Islands. Anna Jean and her husband moved to the Flathead Lake in 1972, where they enjoyed working on their home, gardening and golfing. Due to her husband’s illness they sold their lake home in 1991 and moved to Bay View Drive in Polson, where they continued to enjoy friends and golfing. Anna Jean was a lifelong member of the University of Montana Alumni Association and a Psych-Chi Honorary. She was a previous member of Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile, Sigma Kappa Sorority, and Sect of the Women’s Golfing Association of Polson for seven years. She was a member of the Polson Community Church. Anna Jean was known as “Grandmother A. J.” to many Polson school children. She was a foster grandmother volunteer for eight years in Carla Farnstrom’s classroom at both Cherry Valley and Linderman schools, where she touched many children’s lives and enjoyed them very much. Mrs. Mary Lindell, A. J.’s Polson daughter, will always miss A. J.’s great moral support and love.  A. J. will be missed greatly by her weekly bridge club friends and her family of progressive rummy friends. Her style, honesty, intelligence, quick wit and integrity will be missed by all who knew her. Anna Jean is survived by nieces and nephews. Cremation has taken place and there will be no services at her request. She is now sleeping in the house of the Lord. Memorials can be sent to the Lake County Humane Society, the Lake County Foster Grandparent Program or the North Lake County Public Library. Messages of condolences may be shared with the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com.