Quentin Johnson

Quentin Benjamin Johnson, age 88, passed away on Saturday, April 23, 2011. He was born on December 14, 1922, in Brooklyn, Wisconsin, the son of World War I combat veteran Einar and Bernadine (Watkins) Johnson. Quent attended school in Brooklyn, lettering in football, baseball and basketball all four years. He was also a star drum major marching on the streets of Brooklyn and the avenues of downtown Chicago. Quent also attended Carroll College. He worked at the Brooklyn Bowman Dairy where he fired boilers and worked as a milk smeller, a story he loved to tell. After his dairy days, Quent worked as a shipping foreman at Varco Pruden in Evansville, then retired in 1985 from the Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations.Quent (Pa) married Marian Rasmussen in 1948. They were active in community affairs and were founding members of the Brooklyn Lutheran Church. Quent loved music and was blessed with a beautiful bass voice. He sang in the church choir for many years and taught Sunday school. One would frequently see him with a Kleenex when a song would tear him up. He began tapping his children, Doug, Jan and Poo, with pencils to the beat of the music. He was determined to have his kids grow up with rhythm it worked on two out of three. Quent also played trumpet and bugle. He was also an expert whistler; and a singer in the Dreamlanders Band. He and Marian enjoyed many years of square dancing and the sounds of big band music. They were long-time members of the Evansville Golf Association for many years.Quent (Q.B. to his army buddies) was a very proud World War II veteran. He fought in the European Theater with the 126th Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Gun Battalion. He spoke of buzz bombs and shooting down Hitlers missiles. The 126th AAA Gun Battalion was a critical part of saving Antwerp, Belgium in the Battle of the Bulge. UW Professor and writer Steven Ambrose wrote that these WWII Citizen Soldiers gave us a debt that can never be repaid. Beginning 50 years after the war, Q.B. never missed the annual WWII Army Reunions held around the U.S. where he was able to rekindle friendships with his war buddies. He was also a member of the Benjamin Johnson Legion Post #160 for over 60 years.Quent especially enjoyed revisiting Chamonix, France in 2001, where he was after the war ended. He and his beloved wife Marian celebrated her 80th birthday with family in Zermatt, Switzerland where they enjoyed taking the cog rail up close to the Matterhorn.In retirement, Quent enjoyed being a driver escort for RSVP for 15 years. He and Marian took Elderhostel trips, and looked forward to family vacations around the U.S., mainly out west. Quent had a lifelong love for the west, enjoying hiking in many of the national parks in the U.S. and Canada. In between vacations, he loved reading every Louis L`Amour book ever written and, from page one, he was ridin and shootin along with the best of them (hello the camp). He also loved keeping track of family and friends on Facebook. Quent was a big fan of the Packers, Braves, Brewers and the UW Badgers, especially UW Womens Basketball where he and Marian also enjoyed watching grandson Quentin as a cheerleader. Pa had a deep compassion for animals and donated to many animal charities. He had a great love for elephants (not Republican) and would continuously search Discovery, Animal Planet or National Geographic channels for elephant documentaries. He made sure to call the kids to let em know when the elephants were on TV. He also loved Arrow, granddaughter Shalis dog, who frequently assisted when tucking Pa into bed when visiting.Survivors include a son, Douglas (Vickie) of Evansville; two daughters, Jan and Julie (Poo) of Madison; a sister-in-law, Diane of Phoenix; five grandchildren Shalicia, Quentin (Natalie), Deja (Scott), James and Nikolas; and many nieces and nephews whom he loved so much. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife Marian, and his brother, Robert.The family wants to graciously thank the home HospiceCare West Team, who assisted them in caring for Pa during the 5 weeks he was able to remain at home, and also the in-patient and residence teams at the Hospice facility. The family wishes we could list them all here by name, but they know who they are. The compassion, love and support theyve given us are immeasurable. Of special mention is Poos long-time best friend and Hospice nurse Bean (Sandy Elmer) who also provided additional support.We were so blessed to have this great man in our lives. His last wish was to try to let us know, if he possibly could, that he would be okay after he passed. Thank you Pa for that wonderful sign you gave us. Funeral services will be held at BROOKLYN LUTHERAN CHURCH, 101 Second St., Brooklyn, at 11 a.m., on Friday, April 29, 2011, with Pastor Rebecca Ninke presiding. Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitation will be at GUNDERSON OREGON FUNERAL HOME, 1150 Park St., Oregon, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2011 and also at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of service on Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Brooklyn Lutheran Church or HospiceCare, Inc. of Fitchburg. Cemetery: Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitation: Visitation will be at GUNDERSON OREGON FUNERAL HOME, 1150 Park St., Oregon, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2011 and also at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of service on Friday. Service: Funeral services will be held at BROOKLYN LUTHERAN CHURCH, 101 Second St., Brooklyn, at 11 a.m., on Friday, April 29, 2011, with Pastor Rebecca Ninke presiding.