Ralph S. Johnson, 84, of Marseilles, passed into the arms of Jesus on Friday, December 1, 2023, at Aperion Care Marseilles, surrounded by his loving family.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, December 9 at Marseilles First Baptist Church. A celebration of life will follow at noon at the church with Pastor Troy Tvrdik officiating. Seals-Campbell Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.
He was born on January 30, 1939, in Morris, IL, to Stanley M. and Susan R. (Duvick) Johnson. On December 15, 1956, he married Lynnette Hall, his high school sweetheart of Lisbon who survives.
Attending Newark High School, Ralph was introduced to acappella four-part harmony by music director, John Rouilard. From then on he was hooked and never lost his fervor for the barbershop style. In the 70’s, he sang tenor with the Chicago-based Chords Unlimited quartet and placed 13th in an International competition. Baseball was another love and at age 16 he played on the Sheridan American Legion baseball team as a catcher being coached by infamous Red Sox pitcher Si Johnson. In the 80’s, having years of experience locally in the home improvement field, he opened Ralph’s Floor Covering store on LaSalle Street in Ottawa. In the ’90s, he and Lynnette moved to Naples, FL for ten years, where he owned a closet design business and sang with a much sought-after gospel quartet. Then in 1995, the couple moved to Asheville, NC, where Ralph became involved in the insurance industry, serving the senior market, they remained there for twenty years. In 2015, the couple retired and returned “home” to be near their growing family, happily settling in Marseilles. A couple of years ago he wanted to fill his time more productively, so he took a part-time job with Home Hardware in Ottawa which he thoroughly enjoyed as he spent his days helping people and making lasting friendships among customers and staff. Ralph was an avid golfer, and gardener and continued to enjoy singing until his very last breath.
Ralph was a member of First Baptist Church in Marseilles. He was proud of his Norwegian heritage and served on the board of the Norsk Museum and as past president of Cleng Peerson Lodge, Sons of Norway. At WCMY radio, he voiced “Ole” publicizing Norwegian feasting events always enjoying a repartee with Jay LeSeure.
He is survived by his wife of almost 67 years, Lynnette; his children, David (Maureen) Johnson of Marseilles, Chris (Deb) Johnson of Sheridan, Brenda (Chester) Lubanowski of Ottawa, and Diane (John) Sanchez of Ottawa; eight grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister in infancy, Olebelle.
In place of flowers please consider donating to the ongoing needs of the Norsk Museum, a 501c3 not-for-profit local organization via Norwegian Center Inc (Norsk Museum), 415 Lewis St,
Marseilles IL 61341. On the Seals-Campbell Funeral Home website, a more detailed version of his life may be seen.
Seals-Campbell Funeral Home
1009 E. Bluff St., Marseilles, IL 61341 815-795-5151 www.sealscampbell.com