Signe Doris Johnson

Our beloved mother Signe Doris Johnson, a long time resident of Menahga, passed away on June 26, 1914 at Green Pine Acres in Menahga, Minnesota. She was born on August 22, 1914 in Loimaa, Finland. Her parents were Peter and Amanda (Hakkalla) Matson. Amanda and Sulo (Signe's older brother) had returned to Finland to visit their family and Signe was born on this trip. All 3 returned to Hancock, MI when Signe was about 6 months old. The original ship they were scheduled on for the return trip refused them to board because Sulo was ill. This turned out to be a blessing because that ship sank. Everything was going well for this small family until tragedy struck, Sulo died at the age of 5 from an illness. Shortly after, in 1917, her father died, cancer took him at only 32 years old. Signe's mother found employment at a health resort on Menahga's Stocking Lake. Later Amanda married Elmer Junes and she had 3 more children: Norman, Mildred and Harry. The family lived together happily on a Menahga farm. Signe attended country school #61. Later Signe worked in Chicago and Brainerd as a nanny. On October 19, 1935 Signe married Julius K. Johnson and they lived on a farm near Menahga. They had 2 children Russell and Virginia. Then this new family moved a couple of times, but each time they missed their real home and the rest of their family and returned to their original farm in Menahga. Later they moved again, this time to a home at Stocking Lake, next an Osage farm, then to Signe and Julius' final home near Stocking Lake. Their son Russell married Shirley Olson from Eagle Bend. Russell and Shirley had 2 children: Allan and Sharon. Allan married and had 3 daughters: Jessye, Sairye, and Elsa. Sharon married and had a son, Alexander. Russell died from cancer on September 10, 1995. Signe’s daughter Virginia married Hilbert Sammeli and moved to Sebeka, but didn’t have any children Virginia Sammeli Passed away in Park Rapids, MN at St. Joseph’s Hospital on November 4, 2012. Among those surviving Signe are her daughter-in-law Shirley, grandchildren Allan and Sharon, great-grandchildren Jessye, Sairye, and Elsa and Alexander and numerous nieces and nephews. Among those preceding Signe in death are her parents, her husband Julius, her son Russell, her daughter Virginia, her brothers Norman, Harry and his wife Arlene Junes, her sister Mildred Kyrola and her husband Reino, other relatives and friends. Signe and Julius were married for 50 years. Julius died in 1985. Signe will be laid to rest beside Julius at the green Valley Cemetery. Funeral Services will be held 12:00 PM Friday, July 11, 2014 at Wevley Funeral Chapel in Sebeka, MN with visitation one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at Green Valley Cemetery at 2:00 PM.