- GALENA, Ill. -- Lester Alan Johnson, 54, of Galena, died suddenly Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008, at home.
Memorial services will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Grace Episcopal Church, Hill and Prospect Streets, Galena, where friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday. A supper and celebration of Lester's life will follow services at Tur-ner Hall, 115 S. Bench St., Galena. Interment of his ashes will be held at a later date. The Furlong Funeral Chapel, Galena, is in charge of arrangements.
He was born on Sept. 18, 1954, in Peoria, Ill., son of Delmer and Audrey (Schaefer) Johnson. He grew up on the family farm in Mapleton, Ill.
Lester received a bachelor of science in forestry from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana and was certified as a soil scientist by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
He was employed for 28 years as a resource conservationist for the Jo Daviess County Soil and Water Conservation District and was a founding member of the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation.
He was an active participant and board member in many associations throughout the county, including the Jo Daviess County Planning Commission, Apple Canyon Lake Association and the Galena Community Garden. He was involved in the restoration and beautification of Recreation Park in Galena and numerous other civic endeavors. He was a keen observer of the weather and made a hobby of studying climate trends.
He married Carmen Ferguson on Sept. 4, 1989, at Grace Episcopal Church, Galena. He and Carmen shared a love of growing vegetables and flowers, and the gardens and ponds at their home are a showcase of productivity and beauty.
Lester loved to fish. One of his favorite pastimes was to take his pontoon boat out on the Mississippi River and anchor it in the lee of an island, where he and Carmen would throw in a line and enjoy supper at sunset with good friends.
In addition to his beloved wife, Carmen, he is survived by his parents; a brother, John (Irene) Johnson, of Los Altos, Calif.; sisters, Shirley Johnson, of San Francisco, Marilyn (Van Eden) Johnson, of Kirkland, Wash., Carol (Fernando) Ossandon, of Urbana, Ill.; 23 nieces and nephews; and legions of friends, all who will miss him dearly.
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Waller-Joos-Stetzler
1954 - 2008 (54 years)
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