CAROL MARY JOHNSON

Carol Mary Johnson, of Mora, passed away on Thursday, May 16, 2024 at the Estates of Rush City after a long battle with cancer. She was 61 years old. 

Carol was born on December 27, 1962 in Grand Forks, North Dakota to parents William and Margery (Thompson) Wasylow. She was welcomed home by 7 older siblings and in the following years she would be followed by three more younger siblings. Carol was raised on an active dairy farm west of Grand Forks, ND in the little town of Mekinock where she also attended a one room school through grade 6. After that she went on to attend and graduate from Midway High School in 1981. After high school Carol attended college at North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton and at Mayville State University. She never finished her degree but came back to help on her parents farm. Carol was always helping in some way on the farm, whether it was with her dad in the fields or her mom in the gardens. She was also found helping out by babysitting her nieces and nephews from her older siblings. 

During her time back at home, Carol and three of her sisters decided to put an ad in the Hoards Dairyman magazine. The basis of the ad was ‘4 fun loving farm women looking for 4 farm orientated farm men between ages 18-40 to correspond with.’ This drew letters from around the world as this magazine is international. Well this is exactly how Carol met Wade. They wrote letters and talked on the phone, finally meeting in person in August of 1985. A few short months later on February 11, 1986 Carol Wasylow married Wade Johnson in Manvel, ND at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church. From this marriage they had 6 children. Carol and Wade started out living in Minnesota but moved back to North Dakota for a short time. About the time their oldest was a year old, Wade got a job in Minnesota and that made their move back to where Wade was raised permanently. Eventually they raised a family and their own dairy herd. 

Carol’s passions were her family, gardening, and holidays, especially Christmas. She loved to celebrate the traditions and pass on these simple practices like making the Ukranian Eggs and Perogies. Carol was never a fancy person but could often be found in jeans and bright colored shirts. She loved the color red and her favorite flowers were gladiolas, roses and sunflowers. Well she really loved all flowers. She loved watching the birds too, hummingbirds and Cardinals seemed to always be her favorites. If you are ever wanting to honor Carol, wear red, look for a Cardinal, or plant a flower. She is there with you in nature. 

Carol was also a warrior, cancer warrior that is. She was diagnosed with not one but two kinds of cancer in 2012, ovarian cancer and kidney cancer. She would later also be diagnosed with skin cancer too. She fought courageously through many surgeries, several rounds of radiation, and years of chemotherapy. The toll it had on her body is immeasurable. Carol is a true symbol of what it means to never give up and that the power of a positive attitude can take you where you want to go. Cancer was not the first battle she fought because in 2000, Carol fought to make sure her family came home together after a horrific car accident. She showed strength and courage then to fight for the best care for her children to make sure they also had the best recovery possible.

Carol had a warrior spirit in so many ways. She worked as a paraprofessional for 20+ years in the Ogilvie School District. There she advocated for students in the classroom daily, making sure they were getting their school work done and getting their needs met. Carol left a lasting impact on more lives than she will ever know. 

Carol was preceded in death by her parents William and Margery; father-in-law Wallace Johnson; and brothers, Patrick Wasylow and William Jr. (Doris) Wasylow. 

She is survived by her husband Wade; children, Jennifer (Matt) Oldenburg, Lucas (Melissa) Johnson, Heidi Johnson, Ben Johnson, Caleb Johnson, Tim Johnson; mother-in-law Majal Johnson; siblings, Mary (Richard) Carlson, Jake "Jim" (Lila) Wasylow, Kathy (Jim) Weber, Joane (Art) Wosick, David (Kim) Wasylow, Susan (Kurt) Wanstrom, Beth (Karen) Zimmerman, and Mark (Stacey) Wasylow; sister-in-law Theresa Goering; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A Mass of Christian will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at the St. Kathryn's Catholic Church in Ogilvie.

A Memorial Visitation will be held 1 1/2 hours prior to the service at the church---beginning at 9:30am

Inurnment will be in the St. Kathryn's Catholic Cemetery in Ogilvie.

A luncheon will follow the service at the church.

Please consider making a donation to raise much needed funds to cover the funeral expenses and support the family. You may clink on the DONATION tab above to make a contribution directly to the funeral home for the Johnson Family.

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