Tom R. Johnson, Minneapolis
Obituary | Tom R. Johnson of Minneapolis, Kansas | Wilson Family Funeral Home
December 29, 1948 - June 10, 2021
Thomas (Tom) R. Johnson, 72, of rural Minneapolis, KS, passed from his earthly life on June 10, 2021.
The second of four sons, Tom was born on December 29, 1948 to Richard and Maxine Johnson. Tom attended Minneapolis public schools, graduating in 1967. He attended Cloud County Community College and Kansas State University where he lettered on the freshman rowing team.
Tom worked construction for Crane Rental and Reece Construction. He met Saryl Purcell while she was teaching third grade at Minneapolis. They were married on August 3, 1974. He worked for Twin Valley Nursery, Earthcare Services, and ADM Milling.
In 1977, he started Battle Creek Nursery & Landscape Services. This led to a 30-year career in providing landscape design and maintenance services, field-grown trees, sandstone & limestone (wa-hoo, more rocks!) to local communities. He retired in 2010, still digging trees occasionally from his tree field on the farm seven miles south of Minneapolis where he put down roots in 1977.
Tom also enjoyed hunting and trapping. He served as president of the Kansas Fur Harvester Association and eventually became a national director. He enjoyed working with Kansas Wildlife and Parks as a board member in Saline County. His 1967 graduating class was very close and he loved the reunions. He started breeding registered Brittanies in 2010 and had 101 healthy pups in 10 years.
Tom is survived by wife Saryl; two daughters, Addie (Kal) Abushousheh and Katie (Kent) Constable; two grandchildren, Maxine and Thomas Abushousheh; two step-grandchildren, Lawson and Kenedy Constable; and his faithful Brittany, Hazel; and his brothers Rick (Rita), Brent (Joy), and Mark (Susan).
Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.. Sunday, June 13 at Wilson Family Funeral Home, Minneapolis. A come and go Celebration of Life will be from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Monday, June 14 at the Scout Hall in Markley Grove Park, Minneapolis.
Memorials may be made to the Friends of Markley Grove Park and be left in care of Wilson Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 166, Minneapolis, KS 67467.
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