Joel Johnson, age 92, has been a Resident of the Minnesota Veterans Homes - Fergus Falls since 2021. Interestingly, it was his wife, ShirleyAnn, who first lived there.

Joel recalls, “It was my main joy to visit my wife here two to three times a week for 8 ½ years and I became best friends with the employees. I was even around when they built the new addition, The Village, for memory care Residents. During that period, I said that this was where I was going to live when my time came to have special care…and here I am. It's perhaps the best home in the United States as far as I'm concerned with so many good activities and wonderful staff. I'm very happy and thankful that I'm here. And people still remember my wife, which is extra special.”

The Early Years
The Fergus Falls Veterans Home is not too far from where Joel was born and raised on an 80-acre farm in Little Sauk Township. He attended school in District 29 through eighth grade, then was bused to Osakis High School for grades nine through 12 (graduation). Joel was the only boy among four children in the family and enjoyed a typical 1930s childhood, with time spent outdoors, playing with siblings and caring for his hunting dog, Elmer, plus a fun and friendly pet raccoon who hibernated each winter.

His parents (mother Pearl and father Joseph) were the children of Norwegian immigrants. Upon arriving in the United States, Joseph’s father John was encouraged to change his name from John Humly to help Americanize it. So, Joel’s grandfather became John Johnson and the Johnson name carried from generation to generation from that point on. Joel’s mother passed away in 2001 at the age of 91; his father died in 2000 at the age of 94.

Military Background
Joel shares that he is proud of his time in the armed forces. Drafted in 1953, he spent two years in the Army. His basic training was focused in the areas of Infantry, Communications and Artillery. Following basic training, Joel was deployed to Korea; he was stationed with the 936th Field Artillery Battalion and connected to I Corps. His main job was serving as a telephone lineman and maintaining switchboards. Joel’s work, as he described it, was physically demanding: climbing poles, placing wires while he “hung like a monkey,” digging trenches and preparing bunkers.

He was also sent on training missions to maintain combat readiness and pulled night guard duty in battalion ground areas. “The most feared job was having to pull guard service near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ),” says Joel. “My guard partner was a South Korean Veteran. Fortunately for us, we didn't have any bad incidents happen; however, it was known U.S. Guardsmen had been ambushed by North Koreans outside the DMZ. I was thankful to be safe.”

Joel’s years of military service were fast-paced and full of once-in-a-lifetime memories. He recounts his most memorable experience: “Approximately six miles from our battalion location there was a small airport where a parade was organized consisting of two battalions: the one I served in and another battalion located not far away. The parade was being viewed by a general and other high-ranking officers. Five aircraft flying in formation left colored smoke trails as they passed over. Then the aircraft flew upwards and spread in different directions when, right before our very eyes, two planes collided in midair. One spiraled straight down and crashed, instantly killing the pilot and his passenger; the second aircraft was able to maintain control and landed somewhere safe, although it was reported that the pilot and passenger were injured. It was a lifechanging event.”

Joel committed to keeping in touch with his comrades after the truce; to this day, he still talks with several of those individuals.

Building A Family
In his younger years, Joel liked roller skating. One evening while at the Alexandria roller rink, he was skating close to the person in front of him. Suddenly, that person began to fall backwards. Luckily, Joel was close enough to catch her and that’s how he met his future wife! They dated for nearly a year and married in 1952. She stayed at home during his overseas deployment.

After completing his tour of duty, Joel returned home to his wife to build a family. They raised four children – three boys and one girl – and traveled extensively throughout the years to different parts of the country. Joel recalls his wife as an excellent homemaker and a truly special person. “She was the most amazing woman there ever was, a very intelligent companion who was a good saver and had a strong command of language,” Joel shared. “I attribute every success I ever had to her.”

When their children were grown and had moved away, Joel and his wife continued to travel, taking vacations to the Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand. They were married for a total of 61 years, separated by her death in 2013. Today, he is proud of their adult children whom he describes as “successful in both their professional and personal lives.”

Life After The Military
Upon returning home, Joel was offered employment with Todd County Dairy in Browerville, MN. He was trained as a foreman for a butter oil operation; the plant processed butter that was being held in cold storage throughout the United States, removing impurities to create an oil called Ghee. Joel was proud to help produce a product that was being donated by the United States to Third World countries. That’s when Joel realized that the food production work he was doing would be his long-term career.

After 10 years with Todd County Dairy, Joel joined Northstar Dairy in 1968 and moved his family to Zumbrota, MN. The Zumbrota site was a multi-million-dollar plant built to manufacture cheese, concentrating whey from cheese and using a spray-drying system to dry whey into whey powder. This type of process was critical to the ultimate growth and success of the snack food industry.

In 1975, Joel started a new whey-drying plant in Mandan, ND. In 1980, he was offered a position with Niro Atomizers as a nationwide sales engineer. He also traveled to Europe, visiting a number of facilities and learning about advanced technology used overseas for processing dairy. Joel notes that Niro was an excellent employer and he enjoyed his years with them. He talks about knowing his craft and remembers how he would excitedly dream at night about what he would be doing the next day. He retired in 1995 at the age of 63.

Favorite Veterans Home Memories
Joel recounts a number of favorite social activities at the Fergus Falls Veterans Home, including a fishing trip to Ely, MN, where he enjoyed the company of fellow Residents and caught lots of fish. At the age of 91, he went on his first turkey hunt to Camp Ripley, MN, where he bagged his first ever turkey. In addition, Joel appreciates being kept busy both physically and mentally by pursuits like bingo, choir, water painting, solving puzzles and woodworking.

He also feels privileged to have been included in the April 2022 Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., where a group of 80-plus Veterans visited the Vietnam War Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and other points of interest. Joel was moved by the powerful history and educational lessons that were presented.

He relishes spending his time with people who treat him respectfully, honor his service and share common life experiences. “It’s a very clean home with good healthcare and food, full schedules, an outstanding Administrator and staff members, and wonderful friends,” Joel notes. “I’m thankful for everything, every day.”