Carl Johnson Jr.

  Carl Emil Johnson Jr. passed away on Feb. 27, 2016. He was born in Bellingham on June 15, 1924, along with one sister and three brothers. His father, also named Carl, had a small farm and worked at the Bloedel Mill and his mother was a homemaker
  Carl grew up working hard on the family farm. In 1936, when Carl was 12 years old, he bought his own farm of 32 acres on Hannegan Road for $2,000. His payments were $150 per month. He sold his first farm and purchased 100 acres on the corner of Van Wyck and Noon roads on April 30, 1946. In 1949, he sold his few cows and bought a 1949 Oldsmobile — “Oh, Those Were the Good Ol Days.”
  The very first time Carl met his wife, Della, was at a grange. She was only 11 years old. He kept his eye on her over the years and they were married on Sept. 16, 1949. Carl and Della had three wonderful sons. Together the family worked their farm, clearing over half of it and raising 100 heifers at a time.
  Carl’s hobbies were farming and driving tractors. He loved western music and movies. Something you might not know about Carl was that he loved to dance! His life advice was “buy a farm, take care of your family, and be happy!”
  Carl is survived by his wife, Della; three sons, Carl III (who married Ella from the Philippines), Glenn (wife Linda deceased) and Gary (Lady Di from California); six grandchildren, Merri and Bryan Schreder (children Ryan and Kenzi), Marcy and Kevin Poortinga (children Gavin and Tanne), Joellene Johnson and partner John (son Miles), Glenn Johnson Jr., Mike and Kathy Johnson (sons Jorey and Nico) and Melissa and Tom Westman (children Marley, Max and Patrick).
  A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 13, from noon to 4 p.m. at American Legion Post 7, 1688 Bakerview Rd., Bellingham.
  Donations in celebration of Carl’s life may be made to a charity of your choice.
  Arrangements are by Whatcom Cremation & Funeral, wcremation.com.