Elaine C. Johnson

Elaine C. Johnson, age 71, of Decorah, IA, died Sunday, April 6, 2014 at Aase Haugen Home in Decorah. Memorial Services will be held at 3:00 P.M. Friday, April 11, 2014 at Decorah Lutheran Church in Decorah with Rev. Dave Sorenson and Rev. Bryan Robertson officiating.  Inurnment will be at the Lanesboro Cemetery, Lanesboro, MN, at a future date. Visitation will begin at 2:00 P.M. Friday, for one hour before the service, at Decorah Lutheran Church. Elaine Colleen Thompson Johnson was born October 30, 1942 to Cleo and Edna (Haakenson) Thompson in Lanesboro, Minnesota.  Elaine and her cousin Joan Thompson were both baptized together at Mabel Lutheran Church, Mabel, Minnesota.  Elaine attended the O’Hara Country School through the 6th grade, graduated from Lanesboro High School with the class of 1960, and Rochester Junior College in Rochester, Minnesota. She then worked as a medical secretary at the Rochester State Hospital. Elaine was united in marriage to Gerald Duane Johnson on April 3, 1964 at Central Lutheran Church in Winona, Minnesota. This union was blessed with two daughters, Debra Sue and Kimberly Ann, and one son, Troy Alan. Elaine worked for 20 years at Atwood Automotive in West Union, Iowa; owned and operated the Sleepy Nisse, a bed and breakfast, with her husband, in Lanesboro, Minnesota for 7 years and worked at the Mayo School of Graduate Education at Mayo Clinic in Rochester for 5 years.  After retiring, Gerald and Elaine moved to Decorah, Iowa. Elaine was a member of the Decorah Lutheran Church and volunteered at the food shelf there. She enjoyed rosemaling, quilting, reading, gardening, photography, traveling and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Elaine is survived by her husband, Jerry of Decorah; two daughters: Debra (Daniel) Lafferty of Rochester, Minnesota and Kimberly Johnson of Urbandale, Iowa; one son Troy (Chantel) Johnson of Lakeville, Minnesota; and five grandchildren:  Logan Lafferty, Lauren and Ellen Scott, Kelby and Kaleb Johnson. She was preceded in death by her parents.