Daniel J. Johnson

Daniel “Dan” Johnson, 58 of Bismarck, passed away on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, after a battle with cancer.

A celebration of life will be at 7:00 P.M. on Friday, October 11, 2024, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. The service will be live streamed on the funeral home website. 

Daniel “Dan” Johnson was born to Dwight and Elaine (Kramlich) Johnson on July 31, 1966, in Ashley, North Dakota. He was the oldest of three boys in the family. Dan was raised near Kulm and graduated from Kulm High School in 1984.

On November 22, 1986, he married his high school sweetheart, Karla Kranzler at Lehr Baptist Church. Together they built their life in Aberdeen, SD, where Dan put to use his education from Wahpeton State School of Science. He worked as a machinist for four years in Aberdeen. In 1989 their family grew by one when Kal was born. In 1991, they moved to Bismarck where Dan worked as an orderly at St. Alexius Hospital. He soon became an EMT and EMT trainer, teaching CPR classes for many years. In 1993, they completed their family of four when Kaitlin was born.

A farmer at heart, Dan loved to work on the family farm or a friend’s farm throughout his life. Dan worked with Paul Silbernagel for many years, and their friendship was not just based on the labor and construction around the farm, but the many breakfast meetings at Kroll’s that started most mornings.

In 1998, he went to work as a correctional officer at the State Penitentiary, until 2006 when he left there to work as an engineer for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Dan pivoted to trucking in 2016, proving his grade school teacher wrong about how he “could not make money staring out a window.” He returned to his farming roots through agricultural trucking, helping farmers haul anything - from grain to animals. Out of all the loads that Dan hauled throughout the years, he was most proud of his time as a bull hauler. He eventually went to work for Ehlers Trucking in Hettinger and lastly, Liberty Trucking, until his fight with cancer increased and he retired on August 1, 2023.

Dan had a laundry list of hobbies as varied as his curiosity, and a huge community of friends that followed it. Hunting, fishing, camping, gardening, brewing beer and making wine are just a few things that Dan enjoyed doing. Dan showed his creativity in the kitchen and at the grill; he had a passion in cooking for crowd, whether at a fundraiser, for his lake community, or for family gatherings. He loved riding his motorcycle and was a member of the Our Place Motorcycle Club. He was an active member and a President of Sporting Chance, a nonprofit that provides outdoor sporting opportunities to individuals with disabilities. Dan’s true love was his family and being “Papa” to Jude and Henry kept him busy, rarely missing a chance to cheer them on at all their sporting events.

Those most honored to share in his life are his wife, Karla; children, Kal Johnson, St. Paul, MN and Kaitlin (Josh) Rahrich, Bismarck; grandchildren, Jude and Henry Rahrich; parents, Dwight and Elaine Johnson, Moorhead, MN; brothers, Darin (Jennifer) Rogers, MN and Dalen “DJ” (James) Johnson, Sacramento, CA; mother and father-in-law, James and Ardella Kranzler, Lehr, ND; sisters-in-law, Julie (Steve) Spitzer, Ashley, ND and Ann Marie (Dusty) Marmon, Lincoln, ND; brother-in-law, Terry (Geraldine “Geri”) Kranzler, Wheatland, ND and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Memorials are preferred in memory of Dan to Sporting Chance, Bikers for Bikers through Designer Genes or a memorial of your choice.