Kermit Ray Johnson
July 11, 1947 ~ May 21, 2023
Kermit R. Johnson, 75, Watertown, SD, passed away peacefully at Avera Heart Hospital, on Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Sioux Falls, SD, after several days of intensive care with pneumonia and infection complications. Early that morning, the clouds lifted and he completed his baptismal journey. His remains will be cremated and scattered in his favorite pastime place, the Municipal Golf Course.
There are no services planned and certainly no pomp and circumstance. A Celebration of Life will occur Saturday, July 8, 2023, with further detail to be provided. In lieu of any cards/flowers, please consider donating to the Boys and Girls Club of Watertown.
Kermit Ray Johnson, the son of Jonas and Evelyn (Muller) Johnson, was born on July 11, 1947, at Memorial Hospital in Watertown, SD. He attended Grant School and graduated from Watertown High School. During his teen years, Kermit loved to go hunting with his dad, out to his Aunt Harriet’s farm, and go duck hunting near Webster. He attended Northern State College, where he honed his golfing skills playing with all his buddies. There are a lot of stories, I am sure his buddies all will cherish and share if you ask them!
Kermit had many skills that brought out his love for people, including Managing for Enercept Building Products, Telemarketing Company, and Godfathers Pizza, just to name a few. He spent several years in St. Paul, MN, managing a Duling Optical. But most of all, he loved to go to rummage sales (this started with going to them with his mom!) which led him to open a second-hand store and online auction center, which was his last business venture.
Kermit’s community and church involvement led him into assisting with the creation of a Boys & Girls Center and an ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER for the less fortunate and shut-ins at Grace Lutheran for over 25 years. He loved spending time with his daughters and then his wonderful grandkids who he was so very proud of!
Kermit will be remembered for all the heart he shared with all his friends and family. He truly loved each of them, and if you knew him, you knew it. Kermit was known for his great sense of humor, but also as being hardworking, committed, and dedicated. He will be missed dearly.
Kermit is survived by his two daughters, Molly (Randy) Malsam, Castle Rock, CO, and Maggie (Matt) Nygaard, Sioux Falls, SD; grandchildren, Elliot and Dominic Malsam, Castle Rock, CO, Bethany Nygaard, Omaha, NE, and Carleigh Nygaard, Albany, NY; one brother, Dennis Johnson, Breckenridge, CO/Phoenix, AZ; and his former wife, Buff Johnson.
Kermit was preceded in death by his parents, Jonas Erwin and Evelyn May (Muller) Johnson.
Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for Kermit, his family, and friends.
KJ, haven’t seen you in years. Last time we got together was for an afternoon of cards in Sioux Falls. Since then, I’ve thought about you often and wondered how you were doing. May the afterlife afford you nothing but the best of times.
-George