George Johnson

George Odin Johnson of Pequot Lakes, Minn., beloved husband, loving father and adoring grandfather, died unexpectedly Dec. 4 while visiting his daughters and grandsons in Oakland, Calif. He was 77. George ran the graduate program in healthcare administration at the University of Minnesota for more than 20 years during a critical time of growth in the field.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Crosslake Lutheran Church, 35960 County Road 66, Crosslake, Minn. Family and friends are welcome to gather at 10 a.m. for a visitation. A luncheon will follow the service. Interment will be in the Crosslake Lutheran Columbarium Niche.

In an era when community hospitals were becoming part of healthcare systems, George was at the forefront of training the new generation of administrators. George recruited top-flight faculty and high-caliber students, mentoring hundreds over his career who serve all over the country and the world. He believed that personal connections drove industries and people to succeed and fostered a strong alumni network.

All this he did with his characteristic warmth and wit.

George was born Aug. 19, 1937 at home in Hammer, S.D. to Mabel Olida Stave and Wesley Alexander Johnson. He was the third of four siblings, Marjorie, Wesley and his younger sister Janet. As a boy, George sat on his baseball glove while practicing piano and happily talked with customers at the Johnson's General Merchandise Store, founded by his grandfather Alexander O. Johnson and later run by his father, who also served as Post Master and Depot Agent.

George attended the Hammer School, also called Minnesota Township No. 4 School, and Sisseton High School. His entry into college was delayed by near-devastating injuries to both legs during work on a summer road construction crew.

Yet after two years of surgery and physical therapy, he walked onto Augsburg College's Minneapolis campus, with crutches and good humor, and began a long and accomplished academic career. He would eventually drop the crutches and pick up a tennis racket.

George received his Bachelor's in business administration from Augsburg in 1961. He went on to earn a Masters in Hospital Administration, leading him to spend three years at the Franklin County Public Hospital in Greenfield, Mass. in residency and then as an assistant administrator. He returned to Minnesota in 1965 to earn a Ph.D., focusing on the emerging shared-services structure of hospitals.

George built the fledgling hospital administration graduate program at Ohio State University in Columbus until 1980 when he proudly returned to Minnesota to lead the program where he had been mentored by leaders in the field.

George raised four daughters in Columbus, Ohio and Edina with his first wife, Betty, spending many summers at the family cabin on Stony Lake in Hackensack.

George's close ties with the healthcare industry led him to meet his wife Karen Struve, who for more than two decades worked for health care corporations.

They married on July 16, 1994 in Edina, Minn. They lived in Minneapolis, Edina and Northville, Mich. They returned to Minnesota in 2002, settling in Pequot Lakes where for a decade George and Karen owned and ran Beautiful Antiques on Government Drive. George said he loved getting to know the people who came into the store and how it reminded him of his family's general store in Hammer. In the Pequot store, he ran a special section called Decoys By George where he developed an expertise in hand-crafted duck decoys.

George was a gentle man, making and keeping friends all over the country. He remained best friends with his childhood pal Lee Tallakson of Edina. He was an incredible, deeply-loved father and devoted spouse. George was forever changed by the vibrant life and unexpected death at age 18 of his first child Kristin.

In addition to his wife Karen, George is survived by his daughters Stephanie Johnson of Apple Valley, Patricia Johnson of Oakland, Calif. and Julie Johnson (Adam Sharron) of Santa Rosa, Calif., his stepson Mark Struve (Chum Struve) of Woodbury and his siblings Wesley Johnson (Joanne) of Boulder, Colo. and Janet Engstrom (Paul) of Ambler, Penn. George is also survived by his beloved grandchildren Grace, Marta, Charlie, Maya, Marley, Vincent and Pierre.

He is preceded in death by his parents Mabel and Wesley Johnson, sister Marjorie Undem and daughter Kristin Johnson. Memorial donations may be made to Game Theory Academy, a financial education non-profit founded by his daughter, Patricia, and Crosslake Lutheran Church in Crosslake, MN.