Harold L. Johnson

Harold LeRoy "Harry, H., Ace" Johnson age 69 of Irondale Township died at his home on Saturday, November 6, 2010 after he lost his battle with an aggressive form of Kidney cancer. He was born on March 11, 1941 in McKeesport, PA to Howard Leslie and Alice Ranghild (Carlson) Johnson. Soon after his birth his family moved back to the Brainerd/Crosby area. Harry graduated from the Crosby-Ironton High School class of 1960. While in school Harry enjoyed playing basketball, football, track and being in Demolay and playing and singing in the band. He worked for a short time for Hanna Mining Company in Crosby. He then attended and graduated from the Staples Vocational-Technical School in 1961 in tool design and then from Dunwoody Institute in advanced Diemaking in 1963. Over the years, Harry worked as a Machinist for United Scientific Industries, St. Paul; for Nuline Industries , Minneapolis, as their machine shop foreman; for Carlton Machine Products. Carlton as plant superintendent; as a machine designer for Airmac Corporation, Minneapolis; Scorpion Incorparated, Crosby and for Honeywell, Minneapolis as a tool and die maker; Seagate Technologies as a toolmaker and then retired from Advanced Production Technologies as toolroom supervisor. Early on in his adult life Harry enjoyed flying airplanes, and taught judo. He was at one time the central U.S. regional black belt judo champion. Harry also enjoyed hunting, fishing and spent time with family and friends as much as he could. He played bass guitar and sang in many local bands; the Pastels, the Will-Tones, Bill & Gus; Country Rock Express; and the Iron Mountain Band. He will be sadly missed

by many family friends as a good- natured, big-hearted man who lived his life by the "Golden Rule" and with honesty and awe-inspiring integrity. He is preceded in death by people he loved deeply; his parents; his step father, Ted Hendrickson; his grandparents, Harry and Frieda Carlson, Anna (Hanson) and Leslie Johnson and Boletta Hendrickson; special friends, Bill Hanson, Dave Morgan, Kevin Wynn and Don Osterhiem. Survivors include his sons, Kevin Johnson, Ironton, Kurtis (Amy ) Johnson, Otsego and Dan Johnson, Brainerd; granddaughters, Erin (Tony Koop) Johnson, Deerwood, Jordan and Ashley Johnson, Otsego; a brother, Dennis "Bone" Johnson, Crosby; uncle, Ragnar "Swede" Carlson, Brainerd and aunts Rea Korby, Crosby and Pearl (Henry) Lendzian, Warwick, NY; and significant other, Shari Manske. Funeral services will be 11 am on Thursday, November 11th at the Koop Funeral Home in Crosby. Burial will be at the Lakewood Cemetery in Crosby. Friends may call on Thursday 1 hour prior to the services at the funeral home.