8/15/1929 – 5/9/2015
Harlan Johnson, 85, of Omaha, passed away on May 9, following a short battle with cancer. His final days were spent surrounded by his children. Harlan is survived by his brother Gilbert Johnson, daughter Margaret Jauken and her husband Randy and their daughter Claire, son Jeff Johnson and his wife Trudy, and their daughters, Lauren, Kylie and Leah, all of Omaha; son Jerry Johnson, and his wife Shelli, and their sons, Wolf, Hayden and Fin, of Lander, WY; daughter Lisa Matz and her husband Richard, and their daughters, Mandie, Nicole and Allie, of Valley Center, CA; son Jamie Johnson and his wife, Carla, of Denver, CO, and several extended family members and close friends. Harlan was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret and Herbert Johnson, sister-in-law Donna Johnson, and grandson Matthew Matz.
During his youth, Harlan enjoyed fishing, flying airplanes with his buddies, water skiing, ice skating at Benson Pond, ski trips to Colorado, and bowling. In 1947, Harlan graduated from Omaha North High School, where he participated in football and track.
In 1946, the summer before his senior year, Harlan started working for Northwestern Bell. His first 10 years of work were spent installing phone lines throughout Omaha, and then in the late 1950s, he started working on home phone installations. Starting in the late 1960s, Harlan installed switchboards for businesses. He worked for Northwestern Bell for 30 years – until 1977, at which time it became AT&T. He retired in 1988. In his final days of life, Harlan had long-distance video Skype calls with grandchildren and a long-distance Facetime call with his brother Gilbert. He remarked after these special – and technologically advanced calls – that he “had seen it all in his lifetime” when it came to phone communications.
Harlan spent two years in the United States Army and served in the Korean War from 1951-53. He received the Korean War Service Medal with a Bronze Service Star, and the United Nations Service Medal. Harlan was a member of VFW post 2503, and was a lifetime member of the Telephone Pioneers of America, and a lifetime member of the Communication Workers of America, Local 7400. (He was one of the founding members of the Omaha Local.) Harlan also served on the Sunny Slope Pool Board, getting the pool ready for the summer each year.
Until his passing, Harlan enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, going fishing, trips to the zoo with brother Gilbert and all of his grandchildren, woodworking, working on various projects, and taking care of his big and beautiful back yard.
Visitation Friday 5-7 PM, Funeral Service 9:30 AM Saturday at Roeder Mortuary. Interment Forest Lawn Cemetery. Memorials to charity of donor’s choice.
Roeder Mortuary, Inc. – 108th Street Chapel
2727 N 108th St – Omaha, NE – 402-496-9000
www.RoederMortuary.com
