1920
Harold
2013
Harold 'Hal' G. Johnson
August 16, 1920 — August 8, 2013
HOLDEN - Harold "Hal" G. Johnson, 92, of 250 Bailey Road, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. He would have celebrated his 93rd birthday on August 16th.
He was born in Worcester in 1920, the only son of Einar and Oline (Oslebo) Johnson who came to the United States from Oslo, Norway. Hal was raised in Holden and graduated from the former Holden High School where he met his wife, Ginny. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII and upon his return, opened his own business, Johnson Dry Cleaners, which he operated for many years. He also sold travel trailers, real estate and hearing aids in the Worcester area.
His wife of 64 years, Virginia “Ginny" E. (Paquette) Johnson, died in 2010. He is survived by two daughters, Gail D. Mannila of Newton and Melanie D. Johnson of Holden; a son, Barry A. Johnson and his wife Celeste of Deltona, FL; four grandchildren, Christopher Mannila and his wife Terri of Charlton, Jennifer Drumm and her husband Brian of Charlestown, Heather Mannila of Belmont and Seth Johnson of Florida; 7 great-grandchildren; a great great-grandson; and nephews and nieces. Four sisters, Alice, Gladys, Anna and Lillian predeceased him.
Hal was a member of the First Baptist Church in Holden where he was a deacon.
He was proud of his Norwegian heritage and enjoyed many traditional Norwegian foods including his favorite, Norwegian Pancakes. Harold played baseball in both high school and the Coast Guard. He had a flair for drawing, painting and photography and was seldom seen without a camera in his hands. Hal was an animal lover who enjoyed gardening and would strike up a conversation with anyone.
He loved his home on Dawson Pond which he and Ginny named “Cattail Cove” and was able to fulfill his wish to remain at home thanks to the care he received from the staff at Summit Elder Care. The family would like to thank everyone who made this possible for their exceptional care and support over the years. A special thanks goes to his grandson, Seth, who lovingly cared for him at home during the final few weeks of his life.
A Service of Remembrance will be held for family and friends at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 16, in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street (Rte. 122A), Holden. Burial will follow in Worcester County Memorial Park, 217 Richards Avenue (Rte. 56), Paxton. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Sterling Animal Shelter, 17 Laurelwood Road, Sterling, MA 01564, in remembrance of Hal’s love for animals.
He was born in Worcester in 1920, the only son of Einar and Oline (Oslebo) Johnson who came to the United States from Oslo, Norway. Hal was raised in Holden and graduated from the former Holden High School where he met his wife, Ginny. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII and upon his return, opened his own business, Johnson Dry Cleaners, which he operated for many years. He also sold travel trailers, real estate and hearing aids in the Worcester area.
His wife of 64 years, Virginia “Ginny" E. (Paquette) Johnson, died in 2010. He is survived by two daughters, Gail D. Mannila of Newton and Melanie D. Johnson of Holden; a son, Barry A. Johnson and his wife Celeste of Deltona, FL; four grandchildren, Christopher Mannila and his wife Terri of Charlton, Jennifer Drumm and her husband Brian of Charlestown, Heather Mannila of Belmont and Seth Johnson of Florida; 7 great-grandchildren; a great great-grandson; and nephews and nieces. Four sisters, Alice, Gladys, Anna and Lillian predeceased him.
Hal was a member of the First Baptist Church in Holden where he was a deacon.
He was proud of his Norwegian heritage and enjoyed many traditional Norwegian foods including his favorite, Norwegian Pancakes. Harold played baseball in both high school and the Coast Guard. He had a flair for drawing, painting and photography and was seldom seen without a camera in his hands. Hal was an animal lover who enjoyed gardening and would strike up a conversation with anyone.
He loved his home on Dawson Pond which he and Ginny named “Cattail Cove” and was able to fulfill his wish to remain at home thanks to the care he received from the staff at Summit Elder Care. The family would like to thank everyone who made this possible for their exceptional care and support over the years. A special thanks goes to his grandson, Seth, who lovingly cared for him at home during the final few weeks of his life.
A Service of Remembrance will be held for family and friends at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 16, in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street (Rte. 122A), Holden. Burial will follow in Worcester County Memorial Park, 217 Richards Avenue (Rte. 56), Paxton. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Sterling Animal Shelter, 17 Laurelwood Road, Sterling, MA 01564, in remembrance of Hal’s love for animals.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Harold 'Hal' G. Johnson, please visit our flower store.
Guestbook
Visits: 0
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors