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Last updated July 14, 2014|
Naomi Ruth (Imogene) /Ross/ Notes written by her daughter Marilyn Johnson Naomi taught in a one-room country school for several years in the Foxhome, Minnesota area and then in Candor Township where she met our father. She taught from 1930-1936. She had graduated from the Teacher Training Normal School in Fergus Falls. After teaching for four years, she went on to school for a year in Nampa, Idaho at the Northwest Nazarene College. She always talked very fondly about her year there. In order to finance her way home she went to Portland, OR where her cousin Stella Harvey lived and she picked raspberries and strawberries for the summer. Naomi's family was a large, close family despite living miles apart. She had 8 brothers and sisters. All of them had advanced education beyond high school which was somewhat unusual for a farm family over 90 years ago. Two of her sisters were nurses and two brothers were ministers. They were a fascinating family with an uncanny knack for remembering people and loving to talk and tell stories. I have always felt fortunate to be a part of that family as they passed on to us a set of very high values for life and people. Naomi had a deep and abiding faith and passed that on to me and my brothers and sisters. She loved to talk, loved to sew and quilt, and was a great story teller. She regaled our 4-H club with lots of stories. As a small child, I would climb up beside her as she worked and would ask her to "sing me a little story." Books were not plentiful, but we grew up knowing many stories because of her gift of story telling. Naomi was devoted to our father even though she had a hard life as a farmwife filled with many hours of hard work and not too much money. She was a great cook and could whip up a meal fit for royalty with just the things she had in the house. Following are writings from Naomi's a scrapbook that she kept and passed on to me. These give you a insight into her as a person and how she lived her life which I'm sure you already know. "This is a scrap book. A scrap of this and a scrap of that. But life is made up of scraps - a little joy, a little sorrow; a lot of laughs, and a few tears. If these scraps are put together into a whole by the hand of God, so that our own and the lives of others are made happier, then life is full, and rich, and good and has not been lived in vain." Signed Myself Naomi wrote this after our father's death: "Today I feel only a great emptiness and a sorrow which is almost too heavy to bear. My husband was not part of my life - he was my life. But when the dark shadow of grief has lifted, the sunshine of God's love will be there. With this sunshine will come new hope and courage - yes, even a deep inner peace and a new and abiding trust in the one who has said, 'As thy day so shall thy strength be.' " From the newspaper: NAOMI JOHNSON Naomi Johnson, 84, of 205 N. Sheridan, Fergus Falls died Satur- day, November 6, 1993, at Lake Region Hospital. She was born Sept. 18, 1909, at Foxhome the daughter of James and Elsie (Russell) Ross. She attended rural school and graduated from Fergus Falls High School. She also graduated from the Teach- er Training Department and the Normal School Department of Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, Idaho. She taught 6 years in rural schools of Otter Tail and Wilkin County. On June 24, 1937, she married Austin Johnson in Fer- gus Falls. The couple farmed in the Vergas area until Austin died on October 14, 1968. In her early years, she was a member of the Methodist Church of Foxhome and was presently a member of the First Church of the Nazarene of Fergus Falls. Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, Austin; two sisters, one in infancy and Margaret Hanson; two brothers, Raymond and Francis and a granddaughter Sheila Erickson. Survivors include three daugh- ters, Marilyn (Keith) Erickson of Bloomington, Carol (James) Bealow of Wadena and Esther Will of Fergus Falls; two sons, James (Karen) of Pelican Rapids and Clif- ford (Shirley) of Fargo, N.D.; 14 grandchildren; six great grandchil- then and four foster grandchildren; four stepdaughters, Edna (George) Matz of Rochert, Edvina (Orville) Nolting of Wenatchee, Wash., Crystal (Verton) Choquette of Hib- bing, Maxine (Charles) Brown of Wadena; 12 step grandchildren and several step great grandchildren; two brothers, William (Ethel) Ross of Stanford, Ky. and Russell Ross of Sheridan, Wyo.; two sisters, Esther McGuire of Lake Jackson, Texas and Ruth (Roy) Jesness of Morris; a sister-in-law, Edna Ross of Cynthiana, Ky. The funeral is at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the First Church of the Nazarene, Fergus Falls, with the Rev. Mervin Kelley officiating. Burial will be in Ringsaker Ceme- tery, rural Pelican Rapids. From the funeral program: IN LOVING MEMORY of Naomi Johnson September 18, 1909 November 6, 1993 SERVICE First Church of the Nazarene Wednesday, November 10, 1993 at 11:00 a.m. Fergus Falls, Minnesota CLERGY Reverend Mervin Kelley MUSIC Marge Wasmuth Organist Karen Johnson Accompanist Darwin Johnson - Soloist It Is Well With My Soul” “The King Is Coming” Sarah Erickson Soloist “In The Sweet By & By” Congregational Hymns “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” No. 123 “Blessed Assurance” No. 437 HONORARY CASKETBEARERS Darwin Johnson Matt Lunde Derek Johnson Mark Lunde Damian Will Kevin Erickson Kenneth Peterson Harry Burau Robert Robly ACTIVE CASKETBEARERS Brad Johnson Megan Will Keith Johnson Eric Lunde David Johnson Donald Matz INTERMENT Ringsaker Cemetery Rural Pelican Rapids, Minnesota APPRECIATION On behalf of the family, we wish to express their gratitude for your kindnesses evidenced in thought and deed, and for your attendance at this service. Please join us for lunch immediately following the service. ARRANGEMENTS BY The Olson Funeral Home Fergus Falls, Minnesota |