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Donald Paul Johnson, 94, of Center City, Minnesota, passed away on February 25, 2025 in Hugo, Minnesota.

He was born on June 23, 1930, to Paul R. Johnson and Lilly Christine Johnson, who worked the farm Paul’s father had built three miles south of Almelund, Minnesota.  Donald attended elementary school at Furuby School but got the bulk of his education working with his father, who taught him farming and construction. At age 14, he decided he liked farming better than he liked books, and began his career as a farmer. He worked the family land and also picked up work as a hired man, filling in for the men who had gone off to fight World War II.  In his early 20s he joined the Air Force where he served in Ground Transportation for four years. In 1956, he married Shirley Magnuson, a “city girl” from St. Paul, who moved to the family farm, which Donald had taken over from his father. Together they raised four children.

Donald did many jobs alongside his farming. He drove a school bus for the Lindstrom school district, sold Funks seed corn, built pole barns, and did a wide variety of odd jobs. He is probably best known as the mail carrier who drove the Center City route in the ʼ80s and ʼ90s. He was an active member of Kost Evangelical Free Church for more than 55 years, where he served on the trustee board, managed the cemetery, and was always there to drive the youth group anywhere they needed to go.

In 1979, Donald built a new house a mile from the farm and slowly began to taper off farming. After his retirement from the post office, Donald and Shirley traveled all over the country in their RV. Shirley died in 2011, and after a year of “staring at the walls” Donald resumed traveling with friends and family. He was always there to give a friend a ride to an appointment. He was still driving and growing most of his own vegetables at age 89.

In 2020 his health was declining, and he moved into town. He lived at Point Pleasant in Chisago City for a few years before a stroke and some heart problems necessitated a move to Encore at Hugo, where he died a year later.

He is survived by his four children Susan Lynn Peterson (Gary), Richard A. Johnson (Kerry), Julie Kean, and James L. Johnson (Sandy) as well as five grandchildren; Jessica Johnson, Meadow Carr (Jacob), Cedar Adams (Chris), Alyssa Johnson, and Scott Johnson.

Memorial services will take place 11AM Saturday, March 22, 2025 at Kost Evangelical Free Church in North Branch, MN.  Visitation one hour prior. Burial to follow at Kost Cemetery.

Arrangements with Grandstrand Funeral Home of Lindstrom, MN. Condolences can be expressed online at www.grandstrandfh.com.

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