Oliver R. Johnson

SUN CITY - Oliver R. Johnson, of Sun City, died Nov. 14, 2011, after a brief illness. He was 90 years of age. Mr. Johnson was born in Fenton, Iowa, and graduated from St. Olaf College with a B.A. degree, and from the University of Minnesota with a Masters degree in Hospital Administration. He served in top administrative positions in healthcare organizations in Texas, New Jersey and New York. During the final 20 years of his career, he was a Field Representative and a Consultant for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. During World War II he served in the U. S. Army overseas in Europe. Travel and music were lifelong interests of Mr. Johnson; his Wanderlust sparked by college experiences touring the United States while performing with the world renowned St. Olaf College choir in the years just prior to World War II. In later years his travels took him to nearly every part of the globe, and furnished him with cherished memories of many people, places and cultures. Mr. Johnson is survived by two sons, Marcus of Albion, Mich., and Jeremiah of Peoria, Ariz.; two brothers, Merton of Sun City, Ariz., and Emmett of Everett, Wash., both preceded him in death. His wife, Phyllis Stellner Johnson, also preceeded him in death. Memorials may be sent to March of Dimes Birth Defects Research, or to the Arizona Spina Bifida Association, located at 1001 East Fairmount, Phoenix, Arizona 85014. A private memorial service will be held at a date, place and time to be determined by the family of the deceased.