Joseph E. Johnson age 72 of Broken Bow died Friday, January 4, 2019, at the Kearney Regional Medical Center in Kearney.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, January 10, 2019, at 2:00 PM at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Broken Bow with Reverend Mary Jane Gockley officiating. Burial will be in the Merna Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Govier Brothers Mortuary with the family receiving friends 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to the St. John’s Episcopal Church or the Broken Bow Library Foundation. Online condolences can be left at www.govierbrothers.com
Memorials are suggested to St. John’ s Episcopal Church and the Broken Bow Library Foundation.
Joseph Earl “Joe” Johnson was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on August 14, 1946, and passed away at Kearney Regional Medical Center on January 4, 2019. He was lovingly adopted by Earl C. and Leila Johnson and lived in Washington DC while his father was an FBI agent. They lived a short time in South Dakota until moving to the ranch between Merna and Anselmo.
Joe graduated from Broken Bow High School and Nebraska Wesleyan University also completed a number of graduate courses at Creighton, Kearney State, and UNL. He ranched and worked as a lobbyist at the Unicameral for Audubon, National Wildlife Federation, and Common Cause.
He married Carole Sorensen of Comstock at St. John’s Episcopal Church on October 15, 1994, they really enjoyed the Junk Jaunt and collecting antiques.
Joe was very involved in politics from an early age. He attended the inauguration of Lyndon Johnson, took part in the Bobby Kennedy presidential campaign and served as Custer County Chairman. He was appointed to the Nebraska State Library Commission by Bob Kerrey.
He had a special interest in World War II history, learning from the veterans in the area. He attended retired FBI conventions with his parents and loved to travel by train. He had a great concern for water and soil conservation practices, protecting the sandhill cranes and special love of springer spaniels.
He was very devoted to his parents during his father ‘s illness and enabled his mother to spend her final months living at the ranch.
Survivors include his wife, Carole, aunts Marthena Lamoureaux of Valentine, Nebraska and Betty Bennett of Martin, South Dakota, a number of cousins and many friends.
