Bryan C. Johnson
May 12, 1927 — June 7, 2016
Pastor Bryan C. Johnson, 89, of Bettendorf, IA, died Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at home.
Funeral services will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 12, 2016, at First Evangelical Free Church, 3321 7th Street, Moline, IL. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 11, 2016, at Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Ltd., 6601 38th Avenue, Moline. Private burial will be at National Cemetery at the Rock Island Arsenal at a later date.
Pastor Johnson was born on May 12, 1927, in Holdrege, Nebraska, the son of Ernest and Agnes Carlson Johnson. During his formative years, his family moved to Texas and returned to Nebraska where he graduated from Bertrand High School in 1944. He attended Kearney State Teachers College from 1944-45. Pastor Johnson was a veteran, having served in Korea in the Army of Occupation after World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1947. In 1951, he graduated from the University of Nebraska with a major in Greek and graduated from Evangelical Free Church Seminary in Chicago in 1954.
He married Lois Joy Wild on June 16, 1954, in Fremont, NE. During their 62 years of marriage, Pastor Johnson served the Evangelical Free Church in North Platte, NE, Gothenburg, NE, Milaca, MN, and Chico, CA. In 1995, he retired from the First Evangelical Free Church in Moline, IL. He served as chairman of the EFCA Ministerial Association and on the board for Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Following his retirement, he served as an interim pastor for the Evangelical Free Church in Muscatine, IA, Holcomb, NE, and Erie, IL. He served faithfully as a pastor for over fifty years.
Survivors include his loving wife, Lois; children, Brenda (Paul) Lema, Chico, CA, Karen (David) Truttmann, Alpine, CA, Debra (Daniel) Garcia, Roseville, CA, and Kevin (Michelle) Johnson, Erie, IL; grandchildren, Carly Lema, Kyle Lema, Erik Lema, Adriann (Jason) Anderson, Shane Raftery, Justin (Karli) Raftery, Brittney Sovey, Russell Johnson and Grace Johnson; great grandchildren, Josiah Robinson, Jada Kuersten and Bodie Kuersten; a host of nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents as well as his siblings: Dagmar Lind, LaVerne Aronson, Milton Johnson, Ruby Christianson, June Sundbeck and Eldora Sundbeck.
The family would like to thank all the caregivers who compassionately cared for Pastor Johnson in recent years, especially Jenny Murillo, Morgan Janney, Emily McGinnis-Lard, and Alecia Torres.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First Evangelical Free Church of Moline – Bryan C. Johnson Memorial Fund. Memories may be shared online by visiting esterdahl.com.