Laura Johnson

Laura Stahl Johnson, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away on December 11, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colorado. Born on January 8, 1948, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Laura grew up on a farm near Estelline, South Dakota, as the oldest of four children. She graduated from Watertown High School and continued her education at Northern State College in Aberdeen before earning a master’s degree from the University of Denver. She married Bruce Johnson of Vermillion, South Dakota, and together they raised two sons, Daniel Johnson and Stephen Johnson. The couple divorced in 1991. Bruce passed away in 1995. Laura was a caring and loving mother her entire life, and she cherished her role as a grandmother, deeply loving her grandchildren: Elias, Ezra, and Mary. She was also a proud step-grandmother to Princess Barrera, Clarissa Wilson, Sasha Arambula, Haley Bates, Carson Brooks, and Sam Staten. 

In her lifetime, she chose the name “Laura,” which means “victorious spirit,” a fitting reflection of her strength, grace, and resilience. Laura’s life was marked by her intelligence and strong belief in the power of higher education. She worked as an English teacher, a children’s librarian, and taught in a juvenile detention facility. She also taught Spanish, played the clarinet into college, and was an avid reader with a keen interest in psychology and healing. 

As a librarian in Wyoming, she was head of the children’s librarian association, organizing many events with several famous authors and poets. She left behind a treasure trove of signed books waiting to be rediscovered. 

Laura loved to travel and enjoyed spending time with her sisters, Lyn and Leanne. Together they experienced the Chanhassen Dinner Theater in Minneapolis, hiked on trails in the Rocky Mountains of both Colorado and Wyoming, and caught the amazing sights of the Las Vegas strip. Throughout her life, she lived in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nevada, and Colorado. She was a passionate supporter of PBS and remained active in politics throughout her life. Laura was especially drawn to Bernie Sanders and made sure that the bumper sticker on her car — a symbol of her support — would never come off. Today, her granddaughter, Haley, boldly drives that very car in Texas. 

In recent years, Laura found joy in caring for her grandsons, Elias and Ezra. Though she lived independently until November, Laura faced the challenges of dementia with grace, remaining a loving and supportive mother and grandmother to the very end. Laura was preceded in death by her parents, Florence and Carl Stahl, and her brother Larry. She is survived by her sisters Lyn and Leanne, her sons, grandchildren, and extended family, who will deeply miss her loving presence and unwavering support.