Lois Lorraine Johnson, 98, peacefully passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at Mission at Castle Rock Rehabilitation Center where she devoted spending time and sharing her life stories and wisdom with her great granddaughter Jane. 

Born in South Dakota, she was a resident of Rock Springs for over six decades.  

Lois was born November 5th, 1927, in Dowling, South Dakota, to her loving parents, Charles Erickson and Nellie McLean, as well as bringing joy to her siblings, Richard and Charlotte.  At the age of six, Lois, along with her family and some cousins, set out for a new life pulled in a wagon by a team of horses from the Dowling area to the Black Hills of South Dakota, as her father sought work as a logger. At a very young age, Lois proved resourceful and clever, even learning how to operate a logging truck. Lois pursued her education in Lead, South Dakota, and entered the workforce as an operator for Mountain Bell Telephone Company beginning in Lead, continuing to Deadwood, and connecting lines and lives to Rock Springs.  After years of dedicated service, she earned a well-deserved retirement in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1982.

The same year she retired, she married Everett “Ev” Johnson April 2, 1982, in Salt Lake City, who preceded her in death.

After retirement, she returned to Rock Springs, devoting her time and effort to volunteer work at the Young at Heart Senior Citizen Center. Her greatest joy in life was spending time with the ones she loved, and held special delight in time with her grandchildren, who held a special place in her heart.

Her surviving family members include two daughters, Donna Merow of Sacramento, California and Charlene Jackson of Arizona; eight grandchildren: Michelle, Christy, Leslie, Scott, Mike, Marty, Clanci, and Carri, along with several great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Those that preceded her in death are her parents, husband Everett Johnson, her son, Norman, two daughters: Verna and Sandra, her siblings, Richard and Charlotte, and a granddaughter, Randi.

Cremation will take place; no services will take place at her request.

In our time of mourning, Lois’s love will continue to grow and flourish in the memories she leaves behind, the love she taught us, and the joy she brought into our lives.  Family, friends, loved ones and those touched by her lives are invited to leave condolences, memories and well-wishes to Lois and her family at: www.vasefuneralhomes.com