Dr. George M. Johnson

Long time Fargo pediatrician George M Johnson died at his home on July 17, 2025. He was 90.

George was born June 16, 1935, to Nels G and Ruth Hallendbeck Johnson while they were living in Towner ND. When George was 10, they moved to Bismarck where his father became ND Attorney General and later state Supreme Court justice. George graduated from Bismarck High School. He went on to UND where he completed undergraduate work followed by the two years of medical school that UND offered at the time. He completed his MD degree at the University of Washington. While in Seattle he met and married Janice Benson in September 1959. Thus began their 66-year odyssey. Janice and George were each half Icelandic, and they decided at the outset that their shared Icelandic heritage was important to their joint identity. “Two halves make a whole,” they always said.

Their first stop was Duluth MN where George completed his internship at St. Luke’s Hospital. It was a satisfying year with good training, good friends and new son, Nels Christian.

The US was deep into the Vietnam war and George chose to join the epidemic intelligence service in-lieu-of the military. He was assigned to the North Carolina State Board of Health in Raleigh. He loved that job. He went to every county in the state traveling with the state veterinarian as they searched for disease outbreaks. On one of these trips George found a young girl with brain swelling of unknown origin. Of course he did not realize at the time, but this was to be the source of his “fifteen minutes of fame.” His written account of his discovery was the first American description of what became known as Reyes-Johnson syndrome.

There was some excitement at home: Leif Magnus was born and George decided on pediatrics for his career specialty.

Mayo Clinic at Rochester was their next home. George completed his fellowship in two years and then he began practice in Bismarck, but he still had to take boards in Pediatrics in Chicago. Janice went with him to supply moral support and look for rugs while he completed his board exams on October 28, 1966, and on October 29th Christian Stefan was born one month ahead of schedule in Chicago.

One more move brought them to Fargo in 1970. They settled on North 1st; a place they still call home. George joined the Fargo clinic (later Meritcare) where he spent the next three decades in general pediatrics.

It was his sons’ diabetes that led him to the heart of his practice. Because medical school failed to include education on childhood (type 1) diabetes he set out to learn all he could about it. Over the years he strove to treat blood sugar issues while insisting that kids be kids. “Balance” was his watch word.

His last career move added teaching to his workdays, an experience he found fulfilling. He was professor and chair of the department of pediatrics at UND from 1989-2001.

Although it seems ironic now, George took greatest professional pride in being a leader in the effort to get the legislature to enact mandated vaccinations for all children. He was dismayed by current efforts to curtail those laws.

George loved being outdoors and developed a rewarding hobby of nature photography. He was recognized with a display in the Meritcare Clinic Lobby and at the Tamarac Wildlife refuge in MN. He also loved to watch birds.

Survivors are his wife, Janice, and sons, Nels (Eileen) Bozeman MT; Leif (Toni) Billings MT and Christian (Denise) Fargo. Grandchildren are Stefan, Marget, Magnus and Gunnar. He is also survived by his sister Margot Johnson (Bogdan Lenkiewicz) of New York NY and Bucks County PA.

The family is grateful to Sanford Hospice for their compassionate and capable care of George during his last month. 

Interment has taken place at the Melankton Icelandic cemetery in Upham ND.

A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 121 9th st S. Fargo ND, on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 4pm.

George would appreciate donations to the ND Diabetes Association for the benefit of Camp Sioux or the Indians Into Medicine Program (InMed) at UND for Native American medical students.