Memorial Services for 93-year old Doug Johnson Sr of Rushville, NE, will be later this summer on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 1:00 at the American Legion in Rushville.Â
Private family burial is at the Fairview Cemetery in Rushville.
Online condolences may be left at chamberlainchapel.com
Douglas Dean Johnson was born June 29, 1930 to Carl and Elma Johnson on the home place 18 miles southeast of Chadron. He died of natural causes in his home on the place that he loved, with his wife Rebecca by his side, on Thursday May 30, 2024, a few weeks short of his 94th birthday.
Doug grew as the only boy in the family with 3 doting sisters: Shirley, Carleen and Phylis. From a young age, he learned to work hard from sunup to sundown for his father and he passed this work ethic on to his children.
Doug went to a one-room country school for his elementary years, then after 8th grade attended and graduated from Hay Springs High School. Shortly after graduating, Doug joined the Army and attended specialty training school in Fort Ord, CA.
Because he was a proficient typer. Doug became a unit supply specialist for Battery B, 93rd Field Artillery Battalion, 4th Armored Division stationed in Alaska during the Korean War. After coming home from Alaska, he remained in the Army Reserves for the next 8 years.
Doug married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Toof, while in the service. After he came home, they lived on the farm working for his parents when his first two children, Pam and Jeff. were born. The couple then bought the DeWitt place south of Rushville and three more boys came into the mix: Doug Jr, Tim and Todd.
With a wife and 5 children, Doug needed to find another job in addition to ranching, so he went to work at the Rushville Lumber Yard where he hauled material and helped build new homes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
From there, Doug started working on the reservation for the moccasin factory, soon bought by Sun Bell, and he remained there for the next twenty-five years. He was very successful as a top salesman for both jewelry and moccasins.
Doug loved giving his family moccasins. The females in the family had one of every color and he would often get out his jewelry cases and let the family pick out something in turquoise or Black Hills gold.
Another passion of Doug’s was cars. He was always buying a brand new vehicle.
Unfortunately, Doug lost Dorothy to cancer. He then married Inez Crazybull and they had two children together, Andrew and June. After Doug retired, he and Inez moved to the ranch south of Rushville for a short time, before Inez also passed from cancer.
Her loss left Doug very lonely, so he started writing pen pal letters and through those letters met Rebecca Garcia Caburao. They married and Rebecca became his best friend and love, the one who would take care of him until his final days.
Until his legs got weak, Doug could be seen on a four-wheeler at age 93, running around the place to check up on the work being done and – often as – not shouting orders or giving an opinion.
Doug was preceded in death by his parents Carl and Elma; his sisters Shirley, Carleen and Phylis; his wives Dorothy and Inez; and his granddaughter Janelle..
He is survived by his loving wife Rebecca; children Pamela Vargeson, Jeff (Ronni) Johnson, Doug (Candie) Johnson, Tim (Janet) Johnson, Todd Johnson (Anthony Quinones). Andrew (Roxane) Johnson and June (Valerie) Johnson; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.