Alene Johnson, age 93, of Huron, died Friday, February 24, 2017, at the SunQuest Healthcare Center. Her funeral service was held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, March 1st, at the First Baptist Church. Burial was in the Restlawn Memory Gardens Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to the First Baptist Church.
Elsie Alene Boyd was born January 25, 1924, to Leslie and Iva (Shead) Boyd at Carpenter, South Dakota. Her first eight grades were in a one-room schoolhouse at Carpenter. She graduated from Clark High School in 1942. Alene attended Northwest College of Commerce at Huron for a few months before becoming a legal secretary for Tom Luby, lawyer. She moved with her family to Huron in 1944. Alene held many secretarial and clerical positions at various establishments in Huron, including Northwestern Public Service, US Weather Bureau, Kiel Brothers Stationers, SD Farm Bureau, First Baptist Church, District Congregational Office, and also served as Deputy Clerk of Courts and Third Judicial Circuit Court Reporter. She was a court reporter for the Honorable Jon Fosheim and the Honorable Eugene Martin. She retired in 1986.
On August 17, 1947, Alene married Hurley Johnson at Huron. Two children were born to this union.
Volunteering was a major pastime in her retirement years. She volunteered extensively at First Baptist Church and Huron Regional Medical Center and also at Meals on Wheels, US Resource Conservation and Forestry, Huron Chamber of Commerce and Huron Area Senior Center. She was awarded "Volunteer of the Year" from HRMC twice, once in 2004 and again in 2013. She was honored with a 50 year plaque for membership in Bakers Dozen Extension Club, a 4,000 hour pin and 20 year pin from Volunteers of America. Alene held many offices at First Baptist Church including Deaconess, Sunday school teacher, office secretary, chairman of Diaconate, chairman and secretary of General Aid or American Baptist Women's Ministries, as it is now called, and chairman and secretary of various circles. At the time of her death, she was volunteering every Wednesday morning as First Baptist Church secretary. Duties included sending letters to shut-ins, editing and publishing the bi-monthly newsletter, and assisting with the weekly bulletin.Her hobbies were crafts, oil painting, crocheting, knitting, embroidery and decorating cakes.
She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, Cecil, Arthur, Albert and Delmer Boyd; two sisters, Myrtle (John) Genandt and Verna (Gene) Kant; and six in-laws.
Grateful for having shared in her life are her husband of 69 years, Hurley Johnson of Huron; two children, Bruce (Marge) Johnson of Upper Cullen Lake, Minnesota and Zellwood, Florida and Mona (Kyle) Helseth of Sioux Falls; four grandchildren, Lori (Dale) Wormsbecher of Avon, Jacki (Bill) McCormick of Edmond, Oklahoma, Nathan Johnson of St. Louis Park, Minnesota and Casey (Lacey) Johnson of Robinsdale, Minnesota; nine great-grandchildren; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends; and a special nephew, Rod (Gerri) Boyd of Huron.