Rosemary Johnson

Rosemary (Backman) Johnson, 92, of Wilton, ND, passed away on November 14, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. She has finished the course (2 Timothy 4:7) and now resides in her heavenly home, where she longed to be.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM, Sunday, Nov. 19, at Mission Evangelical Free Church, 701 7th St. N, Wilton.

A service livestream will be available for viewing at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/@missionevfree5178/videos

Visitation will be held from 4:00-6:00 PM, Saturday, Nov. 18, Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck.

Burial will be held at Sunne Lutheran Cemetery, Wilton.

Rosemary was born August 23, 1931 to Lawrence and Anna (Hryckow) Backman. She attended Grass Lake Country School in rural Wilton through the eighth grade and then attended and graduated from Wilton High School in 1949.

She married Chester Johnson on April 28, 1951. They farmed on the family farm where she lived for 72 years and there they raised four children.

She was a wonderful mom and farm wife and helped with farm duties and record keeping on the ranching side of the business. She was on the Grass Lake School Board for many years and enjoyed going to church every Sunday. She also enjoyed helping the ladies with White Cross and serving and assisting at festivities in the church. She hosted Bible studies in their home and her spiritual gift was hospitality and caregiving. If you came to her house, you were sure to be greeted with a smile to receive service with love, a lunch or treat, and always with coffee. She loved making meals for family and friends, reading, and listening to her favorite pastors on Christian radio and TV.

She spent her life striving to show the love of her Lord and Savior in her daily words and living, and always started her day with devotions and prayer time. She was a prayer warrior, and was a source of wisdom and always willing to help when we needed advice. We will dearly miss our phone calls and home visits with her.

She is survived by her children, Jinny (Nick) Iwaniw, Carol (Kevin) Hollaar, Calvin Johnson, and Lisa (Tim) Grosz; brother, Sid (Marlene) Backman; sister, Beverly Estes; sisters-in-law, Annette and Helen Backman, Verna and Ruth Johnson; grandchildren, Russell (Miranda) Iwaniw, Stephanie (Mike) Strand, and Jordan Grosz; great-grandchildren, Emma Strand, Cooper and Rylee Iwaniw; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Chester; parents; infant baby brother; little sisters, Genevieve and Alvina; brothers, Norlin, Melvin, and Arvid; brother-in-law, Earl Estes; and sister-in-law, Margaret Backman.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the caregivers at the Hay Creek Lodge, where she has lived for the last three months.

She will be remembered for her kindness to others, commitment to her family and especially her love for the Lord.