Jerry Dale Johnson

Funeral service for Jerry Johnson will be held 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 30, 2017 at Calvary Baptist Church in Inola. Pastor Chad Thompson will officiate. Burial will follow at Bryan Chapel Cemetery in Boatman, OK under the direction of the Inola Funeral Home & Crematory.

Jerry Dale Johnson passed away on Monday, March 27, 2017 at his Inola home surrounded by his family at the age of 76.

The son of Fred and Marie Jones Johnson was born June 26, 1940 in Leach, Oklahoma. As a young child Jerry's family lived in the Little Kansas and Strang area before moving to Tulsa. There he would attend Tulsa Public Schools graduating from Will Rogers High School in 1958. After high school, Jerry enrolled at the Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore but after a few weeks quickly decided college was not his thing and joined the United States Navy. His time at sea was spent aboard the destroyer, the USS Walke. After two years in the Navy, he went to work for the Corps of Engineers as a surveyor draftsman and then joined the Navy Reserve as a Seabee. Jerry was very proud of his military service and having followed in the footsteps of his father.

After completing his Navy service, Jerry returned home to Tulsa and met Deana Scott. They married and made their home in Owasso near Bird Creek before moving to Inola in 1965 to be near Jerry's new assignment - to draw up the plans for Newt Graham Lock& Dam 18. He worked on that project from start to finish, and became one of the first lock operators stationed there until he his retirement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on September 30, 1994 with 35 years of service. Along with the move to Inola to work on the Lock, came a couple of cows that over the years grew to a herd of 40 that Jerry managed on the 20 acres of land they owned. Jerry diligently kept track of the cattle in one of his "little green books". He also tried his hand at raising pigs and rabbits along the years, but the cattle were his main focus and he spent every summer hauling hay to feed them. In 1967, their first child, Rainey was born, followed by Becky in 1969 and Laura in 1970. Figuring that three girls were going to become very expensive, very fast, Jerry completed a correspondence course to receive his Journeyman's License and established Johnson Appliance Repair in 1970. If you lived in Inola and had a washer, dryer, A/C or fridge that needed fixing, you called Jerry. This was usually a physically hard job, but it gave him an opportunity to meet and help people, which he loved.

Jerry loved to travel and saved his vacation time to take his family on extended driving trips across the U.S. every summer. Visiting National Parks and historic places was his favorite destination to be able to see new scenery and wildlife. This included two trips to Alaska in a pick-up camper and many other great adventures.

On March 1, 1988 Jerry married Barbara Smith in Bentonville, Arkansas. The newlywed couple continued living in Inola but Jerry bought a motor home so that he and Barb could travel in his retirement. Over the next several years, he eventually traveled to every U.S. State, all the Canadian Provinces, Mexico and several international cruise destinations. As Barb's Huntington's Disease advanced, she moved to the Inola Health Care Center where Jerry visited and ate lunch with her every day and where he made many close friends.

Jerry was very involved in the Inola community. In fact he was instrumental in forming a water board that helped bring water to rural Inola. He was elected to serve on the District 2 Water Board for many years. He was also very active in his church. Over the years he taught Sunday School and bible study classes, helped build Calvary Baptist Church and was an ordained deacon of the church.

Along with travel, he enjoyed fishing, swimming, water skiing, and playing ping pong, but most important was spending time with his family.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Marie; wife, Barbara; sisters, Pam Guy and Shirley Obidowski.

Survivors include his daughters, Rainey Talbot and husband Mike of Owasso, Becky Scott and husband Eric of Yukon, Laura Johnson of Broken Arrow, Rhonda Willis and husband Randy of Verdigris, and Kathy Borkgren and husband Carl of Princeton, Iowa; grandchildren, Cara Drake and husband Erick, Cailyn Walz, Heather McQuistian, Laura Hook and husband Andy, Brian Feldt and wife Sara, Andrew Jones and wife Taylor, and Amanda Tucker and husband Matt; great-grandchildren, Jackson Drake, Nicholas and Abby McQuistian, Noah, Jessup and Irie Feldt, Harmony Jones, and Rylie and Isiah Jones; brother, Joe Johnson and wife Darlene and sister, Nina Briggs and husband Charles, along with many other extended family.

View and sign Jerry's online tribute at www.mmsfuneralhomes.com