Melford Johnson, 90, of Alamo, ND, died peacefully Saturday, February 4, 2017, surrounded by family at his home in Alamo, ND. Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home of Williston, ND has been entrusted with services and arrangements.

Melford LeRoy Johnson was born April 20, 1926 in St. Paul, MN to Oscar and Edith (Olson) Johnson. When he was 2 years old they moved to Alamo, ND where Edith’s father, Olaf Olson, had homesteaded in 1906. The family then moved ½ mile east to a farm they bought from Olaf Holte. He attended Outlook #2 Country School and was the only one in his class. He only spoke Swedish and said that he taught his teacher Swedish while she taught him English. He then went to high school in Alamo graduating in 1944. There were no senior pictures taken due to rations from WWII.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on February 1, 1946. All he wanted to do was go overseas and fly planes but instead ended up teaching pilots how to read the radar screens in their planes. The magnetron, which generated the bleeps for the radar, had just been invented. He was stationed at Boca Raton airbase in Florida.

Melford met Jeannette Tonneson at a dance at Plummer Hall where she had been teaching school. They were married June 14, 1953, at Writing Rock Church in Alkabo, ND. They eventually bought a house from the coalmine in Noonan and lived on the farm homesteaded by Olaf Olson. They had 5 children. Jeannette died November 24, 1998 from stroke induced dementia.

He then met Leona Erickson at a singles dance at the Moose Club in Williston. She was a widow from Alexander and they were married June 13, 2002. They spent 10 years wintering in Arizona. They ended up swapping farms with Linda, moving back to the farmhouse where he had been raised. Leona died from cancer in 2011.

Dad used to say he had it “better than the King of Sweden” at the farm-why would he want to be anywhere else. He died February 4th at the home he grew up in from cancer, surrounded by his children.

Melford had many stories to tell about his life. He lived through the depression, hunted wolves from an airplane in Canada with Roy Lohse, flew to Cuba on the Farmer’s flight, lived on the beach in Florida in his car, went to Sweden to see relatives and many more. When asked about his hobbies he said “farming”. He also had sheep and Hereford cattle. Hobbies included bowling, music, watching wrestling on TV and pinochle. Tuesday’s were always reserved for lunch and playing cards at the Senior Center in Alamo.

Dad was a great role model for his children and grandchildren. He was patient, kind, gentle, strong, honest, generous, hard working, smart, could fix anything, and loved to tell Norwegian jokes.

He was preceded in death by his first wife Jeannette, second wife Leona, and grandson Justin Johnson.

Melford is survived by his children Bruce (Lynelle)of Williston, ND; Terry (Sissy) of Pendleton, OR; Marjorie (Duane) Gulbranson of Dickinson, ND; Melanie (Allen) Bowker of Culbertson, MT; and Linda (Donovan) Haugland, Alamo, ND;19 grandchildren;14 great grandchildren; his sister Eilene Biwer, Tioga, ND; and brother Wally, Watford City, ND.