January 14, 1934 – July 28, 2021
Bernadean Johnson, 87, of Flandreau and formerly of Trail City passed away Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at the Riverview Health Care Center in Flandreau.
Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge is in charge of arrangements.
Bernadean Madge (Gellner) Johnson was born on January 14, 1934 to Adam and Hazel (Schemp) Gellner. She was born at the Firesteel Lumberyard where Adam was the manager, and her delivery was a miracle in and of itself, as those present were certain the baby was dead and she was thrown under the bed; luckily the midwife noticed she was moving and the doctor decided she was worth saving.
An only child, Bernadean decided at a young age that Mindy would make a more suitable name and this became a nickname for her entire life.
The small family moved to Timber Lake when Bernadean was young, and this is where she attended school and graduated in 1952. Throughout her childhood, Bernadean’s talent for the arts grew. For years the family home rang with the music she made on her cherished piano, and the paintings she created over her lifetime are still displayed with pride by her family and friends.
Two months after graduation, she married John Johnson at the Methodist Church in Timber Lake and her education continued as the city girl learned to become a ranch wife. Once she picked up on the requirements for being a wife, she and John added two children to the mix—Alan Earl in 1954 and Kathy Ann in 1957.
Bernadean’s life was full with the demands of cooking for a large “crew” of John’s brothers and hired men. She was, at best, an uninspired cook, but no one ever went away hungry. Though her cooking abilities were lacking, she was devoted to desserts, often spending days preparing the different candies that would be served during the Christmas holiday.
To say Bernadean was an avid reader would be a gigantic understatement. Her home was filled with books and she passed that passion on to her children and grandchildren. She believed that every house required cats and dogs and that was what made a house into a home—another trait passed on to the future generations.
Bernadean’s love for music, art, books, needlework, and crochet helped her to stay centered. At the age of 50, she decided it was time to do something for herself and enrolled in the LPN School in Pierre. She graduated with her degree, passed her state boards, and then declared, “There, I did it,” and returned to the ranch and John, never to actually practice nursing.
Bernadean and John lived, argued, and loved each other until his death in 2019, being married 64 years. Both Bernadean and John lived at the Riverview Healthcare Nursing Home in Flandreau (Bernadean moved there in 2014).
At Riverview, she lived her life as she wanted. The couple quickly became favorites of the staff, and the workers learned how to deal with Bernadean’s quirks and loved her dearly.
Bernadean hated the wind and loved peace and solitude and over the past two years she would remind anyone who was listening that she had lived a good life filled with work, but that she was ready to go home.
Bernadean is survived by her son Alan (Collette) Johnson of Hill City; daughter Kathy (Gary) Eikmeier of Pipestone, MN; four grandchildren: Jeremy (Lauren) Johnson of Atlanta, GA, Lana (Tony) Bradstream of Iowa, Jessica (Kipp) Magelky of Kadoka, and Grady Eikmeier of Draper; greatgrandchildren Michael, Katie, Becca, Alex, and Hanna Johnson, Kiera and Kaleb Bradstream, Kaidean and Kallen Magelky, and Lillianna, Jared, and Cooper Eikmeier.
A memorial has been established to the American Diabetes Association and South Dakota Public Broadcasting, another passion of Bernadean’s.