Robert D. Johnson

Robert D. Johnson of Moorhead, MN, died Monday in Battle Lake, MN, after a long illness. He was 79. Bob was born January 20, 1931, in Remer, MN, the son of Elmer and Esther Johnson. He grew up in Remer and Walker, MN, and graduated from Walker High School. An avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman, Bob returned to the Walker and Leech Lake area throughout his life. In 1952 Bob graduated with a B.S. from Bemidji State University, where he was the president of his senior class. He also lettered four years in basketball and one year in football and in 1952 was the co-captain of the all-conference basketball team. In 1992 Bemidji State inducted Bob into its Athletic Hall of Fame. He went on to receive an M.A. in Education from the University of North Dakota in 1955, and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1960. Bob served his country for two years as a corporal in the U.S. Army, stationed in Fort Riley, KS, where he was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. The first member of his family to attend college, Bob devoted his professional life to helping people receive an education. After completing his studies he taught and coached in Park Rapids, MN, and was a physical education coordinator in the Owatonna, MN, schools. In 1960 he joined the faculty at Mankato State MN University. Bob also served as the curriculum director of the Battle Creek, MI, school system. In 1967 Bob moved to Marshall, MN, to help found Southwest State University. He was a vice president at Southwest State for more than two decades, filling a number of roles. Bob was passionate about the university and played a key part in its growth and development. Through his work there and at organizations like the Countryside Council, which he helped found, he advanced the cause of higher education and opportunity in rural America. Bob was also a leader in the community of Marshall and at his church, and was a member of many civic and professional groups. In 1990 Bob was appointed to serve as associate vice chancellor of the Minnesota State University System in St. Paul, MN. He spent the final years of his life in Moorhead, where he worked at Moorhead State University, helped start a flower delivery business and enjoyed retirement. He loved summers at the cabin, trips with his hunting and fishing buddies, listening and dancing to jazz, and spending time with his family.Bob was a caring dad, a good husband, a generous friend, and a much-respected and much-loved man. He will be greatly missed. Bob is survived by his wife Alma Cater of Moorhead; his sons Mark Katherine Kersten of Edina, MN, and their children Will Liz, Julia Matt Doffing and their son Xavier,Alex, and Emma; Jeff Kris of West Fargo, ND, and their children Emily and Paul; Steve of Minneapolis; his daughter Susan Paddy McNeely of Inver Grove Heights, MN, and their children Rose, Olivia and Ingrid; his step-children Ward S. Tracy Cater, Fargo, ND, and their children Ward T. and Courtney; Wendy Cater Dennis Bier of Fargo, ND, and their children Claire, Jack and Drew; his sister Ardis Tom Johnson of Tucson, AZ; He was preceded in death by his wife Ruth; his brothers Gordon and Lowell; and his sister Shirley. Memorials can be sent in memory of Robert D. Johnson to the Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation