RICHARD JOHNSTONE

Richard “Dick” Johnstone, of Mora, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at his home.  He was 87 years old.

Richard "Dick" Johnstone was born at home, one block south of the old Zetterberg Hardware in Mora, Minnesota on March 24, 1938, to Gilbert and Ida (Ruud) Johnstone.  He attended and graduated from Mora Schools in 1957.

On January 8, 1958, he enlisted into the United States Army, a very proud time for him.  He spent basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri until he was transferred to Fort Knox, Kentucky. During his military journey, he spent a year patrolling the German-Czech border.  He returned and continued working repairing tires, a job he started when he was 14. 

He proposed to the love of his life Ann Maier, they would be united in marriage on May 20, 1961.  This union would bring them five children.  Eventually eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren would be added to the family, each one was loved beyond words, and it showed.

He spread his wings in 1968 and started his own tire repair business after being employed by his brother and 7 Corners in Minneapolis, until he retired. He loved his job and all the farmers that he had the opportunity to work with.  He even made some impulse tractor purchases from them every now and then.  When out on Sunday drives, he always shared with us what tractor each farm used and what he had done to service them, along with many stories about each farmer.

He was a very simple man, who lived a very simple life.  He was proud of his hard worked, cracked, dirt stained hands and his vulcanized patched bib overalls.  Retirement life was always filled with busy days and still always working on some sort of project.  The coffee pot was always on, and packages of cookies were always on the table just waiting for one of his daily visitors to arrive.  The kitchen table was a special gathering spot to share stories, tool talk, all things tractors and old trucks, along with numerous possible tall tales and some detailed history lessons.   Many hours were spent on his welding hobby, which would most likely result in the final artistic piece being given to the next visitor's wife or donated to a fundraiser or church event.  Years of working on tractor tires also brought on a love for collecting and restoring Allis Chalmers tractors, then moving on to a doodlebug, then a 1929 Ford Model A which he and Ann loved to drive around.  There was also a few Belarus and Ferguson tractors added to the mix along the way.  All the grandchildren were given special one-on-one time to learn to drive the small Kubota on the front yard.  

Richard loved the outdoors, much time was spent cutting and splitting his own firewood, working on the Model A under a shade tree, or in his shop that is filled with treasures he found at Flea Markets and Auctions.  He fell in love with anything old and rusty, his favorites being wrenches and pliers, along with old wood stoves, boat motors, advertisements and all things Ford.  He was a fixer, specializing in broken grandkids toys and creating welded creations for the grandson’s toy farms and sandboxes, and the occasional Gorilla glue and JB Weld job on eyeglasses, he always got the job done!

The family would like to thank Kanabec County Public Health and St Croix Hospice for all the amazing care and love showed toward our beloved father, grandfather and great grandfather.

Dick is preceded in death by his parents; wife Ann; daughter-in-law Kathi; brothers, Vern, Larry, Glen and 2 infant brothers; and sisters, Elaine Johnson and Irene Dehkes.

Dick is survived by his children, Karen Oberg, Lori (Michael) Homyak, Steven, Robert (Sissy), Lynn (Darrin) Beier; grandchildren, Allison, Matthew, Brady, Kaitlyn, Benjamin, AnnMarie, Adam, and Blake; great grandchildren, Xaden, Xella, Olivia, and Everly; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Mora. 

Visitation will be held from 4:00-6:00 pm on Monday, May 5th at the Hamilton Funeral Homes in Mora and again 1 hour prior to the service on Tuesday at the church. 

Interment will be in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Mora. 

Military Honors will be provided by the Mora American Legion Post 201. 

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