Myron Grant Johnson

Myron Grant Johnson was the youngest of five born to Oscar and Dora (Landau) Johnson, on October 28, 1924, in Norton, Kansas. He graduated from Decatur Community High School, Oberlin, Kansas, in 1942. Myron passed away on February 8, 2015, from congestive heart failure.

Myron was part of the Greatest Generation, serving in World War II with the 712th Tank Battalion, as part of General George Patton’s 3rd Army. Following D-Day, Myron was part of the occupation forces. At that time, he was part of the military marching band, performing for official celebrations. Myron also played in an Army dance band performing for officers’ parties.

Myron and Metta Schweitzberger were married on April 17, 1949, and celebrated 65 years of marriage in April of 2014. To this union were born two children, Johanna in May 1951 and Jim in February 1953.

Myron was one of the incorporators of the Rural Telephone Company in Lenora, Kansas. The company was officially incorporated on February 13, 1951. They started business with five employees serving six counties. After farming for the first few years of their marriage, in 1957, Myron moved his family to Lenora, to be closer to his work with the phone company. Myron retired as Plant Manager from the phone company in 1987. Today, that company is known as Nex-Tech, Rural Telephone Company, has over 300 employees and serves over 40,000 in 19 counties in western and central Kansas.

Myron loved music and was an accomplished vocalist, singing for weddings, funerals and church. He also sang in quartets and at one time sang with a barbershop quartet. Myron enjoyed singing and playing his trombone with several dance bands, including the Harmony Five, the Sheiks and the Dick Stegemeyer Band in Nebraska.

The Masonic Orders were also important to Myron. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Order of the Eastern Star in Oberlin, Kansas, and the Shrine Temple in Salina, Kansas. Myron served as a Grand Marshall for the Grand Lodge of Kansas for one term.

Once both Myron and Metta retired, they enjoyed RV’ing. Besides traveling over much of the United States and Canada, Myron and Metta enjoyed cruises through the Panama Canal, along rivers from Budapest to Amsterdam in Europe and visited many islands in the South Pacific. They eventually settled down to winters in Apache Junction, Arizona, and summers at Trailer Haven just outside Sandpoint, Idaho.

In 2003, Myron suffered a stroke, making another move necessary. In 2004, Myron and Metta moved to Spokane Valley where they lived at Orchard Crest Assisted Living until his death.

Myron is survived by wife, Metta; daughter, Johanna Johnson of Spokane; son Jim (Carrie) Johnson of Helena, Montana; grandson, Eric (Anastassiya) Johnson and great grandson Roman Johnson of Seattle; granddaughter Sara (Jemal) Krokos and great grandsons, Louis, Herbert and Edwin Krokos of Anchorage, Alaska; two nephews and five nieces; step grandchildren Jesse (Jamie) Miller, three great granddaughters of Clark Fork, Idaho; Tessa Cross and great grandson, of Helena, Montana; also close family friends Joleene and Duane Ries of Spokane and Rod Wallgren of Hays, Kansas.

A memorial service was held on Friday, February 20, 2015, at 2:00 pm at Thornhill Valley Chapel, 1400 S. Pines, Spokane Valley, Washington. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the United Parish of Lenora, P.O. Box 186, Lenora, Kansas 67645. Inurnment will be at a later date at the Oberlin Cemetery, Oberlin, Kansas.