Mae Irene Clara (Opager) Johnson

Mae Irene Clara (Opager) Johnson was born on July 24, 1926 in Boyd, MN to Sina (Swenson) and Ole Laurits Gulbraudson Opager. Mae was baptized, confirmed, and attended school in Boyd, MN. After school she went to Minneapolis and worked for the Minneapolis Star in the mail department but decided big city life wasn’t for her and returned to Montevideo where the family now lived.

Mae was united in marriage to Walter LeRoy Johnson on April 27, 1946 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Montevideo. To this union three children were born: Lon Walter, Cynthia Mae, and Nancy Ellen. The family lived in the Granite Falls/Stony Run area. They owned and operated the Johnson Station on Highway 212 for several years before the family moved to Clarkfield. Mae was a Sunday School teacher and bible study leader over the years. She worked at Lynne’s Red and White grocery store and the Gopher State Telephone Company in Clarkfield until the family moved to St. Paul in 1966. She worked at the Red Owl grocery store in St. Paul as the manager/bookkeeper of the bakery department for 21 years.

Mae was a life member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary VFW 380. After retiring, they moved to their lake home on Rush Lake by Clear Lake, MN. She very much enjoyed the outdoors and the family coming to the lake. Mae and Walter spent 21 winters at their home in Mesa, AZ, which she really enjoyed. They moved back to Clarkfield in 1995. Mae loved being with her family and playing games with the children.

After Walter passed in 2011, Mae moved to Valhalla Apartments in Clarkfield. When her health started to decline, she went to the Clarkfield Care Center in March 2020 and passed away there on November 21, 2020 at the age of 94.

Mae is survived by two daughters, Cynthia Jorgensen of Lakeville and Nancy Chasteen of Clarkfield; grandchildren, Michael (Anissa) Nugent of Lakeville, Shawn (Spring) Chasteen of Big Lake, Preston Chasteen of Brooklyn Park, Eric Jorgensen of Burnsville, and Andrew (Janet) Jorgensen of Lakeville; great-grandchildren, Chloe (Carl) Dingman of Clearwater, Paige Chasteen of Big Lake, Ryan Nugent of Lakeville, Harper and Mia Jorgensen of Lakeville; great-great-granddaughter, Vaida Mae Mogere of Big Lake, and several nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by husband, Walter; son, Lon; brothers, Leonard, Orion, Leon, and Dwaine; sisters, Lorraine, Pearl, and Stella, and her parents.

She always believed strongly in the power of prayer. Blessed be her memory.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, June 5th, 2021 at 2 PM at the Stony Run Cemetery. 

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