Ardis Lorraine Johnson

Ardis Lorraine Johnson (Aarness), age 86, of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, passed away on Monday, July 31, 2023, at her residence.

Ardis was born October 11, 1936, in Fertile, Minnesota, to Gaylord and Loyla (Fuglseth) Aarness.  She graduated from Fertile High School in 1954.  After graduating Ardis attended college in Grand Forks, ND.  Ardis worked at Northwest Bank in Hopkins, MN.  In 1960’s she moved to Alberta, Calgary, Canada and worked at Royal Canadian Bank.  Then moved back to the states in 1974, where she worked at Halstad State Bank.

On May 1, 1976, she was united in marriage to Allan Johnson in Rindahl, MN.  Then they moved to Pelican Rapids, MN where she worked several jobs including working in the kitchen at Pelican Valley Nursing Home, brooding turkeys for Don Lende, Ardean Erickson Insurance, and lastly at Walmart in Fergus Falls until she retired.

Ardis loved sending cards for every occasion and holiday to her family and friends, she enjoyed keeping in touch with all her relatives near and far.

She liked to bake, play cards, do her puzzles, knit dish cloths for everybody, and push the keys. She also liked to feed the hummingbirds and all kinds of birds. Ardis was always the first person to help a friend or family, anything to take the load off of her neighbor.

Ardis and Allan spent their winters in Mesa, AZ with her brothers Virgil and Verle and their families.  She met many friends from her church while she was there.  She also made a trip to the Bahamas on a Disney cruise with her great-granddaughters and her granddaughter.

Ardis is survived by her husband Allan of 47 years; daughters: Cindy Wolf and Janeille (Doug) Corman; grandchildren: Tyler, Cody, Stephanie, and Kelsie; great-grandchildren: Alexa and Alyssa; brother Verle (Jayne) Aarness; nieces: Debi, Kris and Sharra and their families, all of Calgary; her sister-in-law Judy Aarness of Minnesota; nieces: Caron and Cathy and their families; brother-in-law Sherman (Carol) Johnson; sisters-in-law: Bonnie (Dave) Larson and Vivian Johnson, all of Minnesota; and several nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Gaylord and Loyla, sisters: Marlene Aarness and Avis Aarness, brother Virgil Aarness, half-brother Gerald Aarness, son-in-law Burt Weber, brother-in-law Rudy Johnson, sister-in-law Alice Nelson, and mother-in-law Julia Beulac.

In Lieu of flowers, Ardis would like donations to charities that help feed the children.  Feed My Starving Children | Volunteer to pack meals (fmsc.org)

Visitation: 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 12, 2023, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota.

Memorial Service: 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 12, 2023, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota with Allen Westby, S.A.M. officiating.  

Please keep Ardis's family in your thoughts and prayers.