Harriet Mason Johnson

Harriet Mason Johnson, 98, died February 3, 2006, in Valley View Nursing Home in Houston, MN. Harriet and her twin sister, Helen, were born May 2, 1907 in a log home on the Buell Farm in Lower Looney Valley to Arnold B. and August (Nelson) Mason. She attended the Brick School for eight years and then walked three miles to Houston to graduate from Houston High School. She attended Winona Teachers College in Winona, MN after high school and then taught for 16 years in rural schools in Houston and Winona counties. Among the schools she taught were: Mound Prairie, Crystal Valley, Storer Valley, Ireland and Perkins. During WWII, she was hired as a postal clerk in the Houston Post Office and retired after working 22 years. Harriet married William "Bill" Johnson in Houston, MN in 1958. He preceded her in death in 1969. She was also preceded in death by two brothers, Arnold and C. Herbert; four sisters, Elizabeth Vamvas, Marion Witt, Helen Lee and Edith Mark; and one nephew, Karl Mark. Survivors are nieces and nephews: Dianna Vamvas, Nancy Radosevic, Geraldine Johnson, Mason Witt, John Mark, Rachel (Glenn) Ukkestad and Mark (Kathryn) Witt; plus numerous grand-nieces and grand-nephews, great-grand-nieces and nephews, and a great-great-grandniece. Harriet was proud of being a long time secretary and treasurer of the Hillside Cemetery and secretary of the Houston County Historical Society. She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, the Presbyterian Church and the Iris Garden Club. Her greatest joy came from her gardening activities. In her retirement she spent hours "puttering" in her garden. Her interests in genealogy lead to a number of enjoyable trips around the United States to visit relatives and the areas where her ancestors had lived.Funeral services are planned for Wednesday, February 8, 2006 at 2:00pm at Hoff Funeral Homes - Houston Chapel. Burial will be in the Hillside Cemetery in Houston, MN. Friends may call one hour prior to the service at the funeral home on Wednesday.