Paul H. Johnson

Those wishing to make memorial contributions may contribute to: First Lutheran Church in Algona Sullivan Building Foundation Hospice of the Heartland or Stinson Prairie Arts Council Paul H. Johnson passed from this life into eternal life on April 28, 2013, surrounded by his loving family. A funeral service and celebration of his life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 2, at First Lutheran Church, Algona, Iowa, with the Rev. Marsha Smith officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, at Oakcrest Funeral Services in Algona. Paul was born on January 17, 1937, in Gregory, South Dakota, the second of three children born to Harriet (Aldrich) and Walter Johnson. After the death of their mother in 1939, Paul and his older sister Wanda lived in children's homes in O'Neill, Nebraska, and then in Red Wing, Minnesota, while younger sister Harriet lived with their paternal grandparents in Franklin, Minnesota. In 1944, Paul's father reunited the family in Estelline, South Dakota, where his father met and married Gloria Rymerson. Two more children, Cynthia and David, were added to the family. Paul graduated from Estelline High School and earned his B.A. at...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

gustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He served in the South Dakota Air National Guard from 1958 to 1964. Paul began his career in banking as a bank examiner for the FDIC. He was united in marriage to Neva Mae Miller on June 11, 1961, at Peace Lutheran Church, Sioux Center, Iowa. Paul and Neva began their married life in Sioux Falls, then moved to Canistota, South Dakota, where Paul became vice-president and managing officer of Security State Bank. Their first child, Matthew, was born in 1963. In 1965, the family moved to Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, where Paul served as vice-president of Farmers & Merchants State Bank. Their children Elisabeth, Peter, and Anna were born during the Blooming Prairie years. In 1974, the family moved to Algona, Iowa, where Paul served as executive vice-president of Iowa State Bank for two years, then as president of Iowa State Bank for 26 years. After his retirement in 2002, he continued to serve on the board of directors until 2007. Paul was active in professional organizations, serving as board chairman for the Iowa Bankers Association from 1996 to 1997 and as Iowa membership chairman for the American Bankers Association from 1999 to 2002. In 2007, the Iowa Bankers Association named Paul the recipient of the James A. Leach Leadership Award for his history of leadership in the financial services industry and his community. Paul served in many community organizations, including the Algona Rotary Club, the Algona Industrial Development Corporation, the Sullivan Building Foundation, and the Algona Cornbelt Chorus. He and Neva have been active members of First Lutheran Church since 1974. Paul was preceded in death by his mother, Harriet (Aldrich) Johnson, his father, Walter Johnson, his second mother, Gloria (Rymerson) Johnson, brothers-in-law, M.O. Lee, Joe Franken, and Jim Munday, and sisters-in-law, Ruth Franken and Inez Siefken. He will be dearly missed by his wife Neva, his children and their families - Matthew Johnson and Elizabeth Thimmesh and sons Noah, Isaac, and Theodore of St. Paul, MN, Elisabeth Johnson of Ngaoundere, Cameroon, Peter and Janelle Johnson and children Adam, Julia, and Wesley of Sartell, MN, and Anna Johnson and Joerg Albrecht and sons Henry, Lucas, and Benjamin of Oak Park, Illinois; by his siblings and their spouses - Wanda Lee, Harriet and Don Scott, Cynthia Johnson, and David and Jan Johnson; by his siblings-in-law Don Siefken, Katie Munday, and John and Mary Miller, as well as many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.