David Leroy Johnson, age 79, of rural Garretson, SD, passed away Sunday, August 18, 2024, doing one of the things he loved best, working his fields from the seat of his tractor. David had no plans of leaving us so soon. Right up until the end he would work all day on his farm, and still manage to find the energy to kick a soccer ball or haul firewood with his grandchildren. A visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Friday, September 6, 2024, at the Minnehaha Funeral Home in Garretson.
David was born on March 4, 1945, in Sioux Falls, SD. He was raised on the family farm southwest of Garretson where the dedication to a strong work ethic became the foundation of how he approached virtually all his future life endeavors. David graduated from Garretson High School in 1963 and then headed to SDSU in Brookings, SD, for one year before being drawn to pursuing education in a less conventional way. The following fall he entered the Peace Corps program with a focus in agricultural practices, which eventually led to him being stationed within small farming communities in rural Brazil. These couple years were not only instrumental in developing David’s philosophies towards what would be his own future farming pursuits but his entire life approach.
Upon his return to the States, David finished his Bachelor’s degree at U of CO at Boulder and then completed Teachers Corp training in California. This led him for a time to teach in Mississippi before he shifted into a stage of life where he experienced a wide range of jobs including learning to repair VWs in the Oakland, CA, area and working as a ranch hand in Montana. He eventually made his way back to the rural Garretson area where he squatted on a parcel of land that would eventually become the farm that was his life’s greatest focus. Throughout the ensuing early years David supplemented his farm income with various small construction and demolition jobs, always looking for ways to salvage materials to be repurposed later. Frequently found building something, David seemed to be driven by the mental challenge of figuring out a functional problem or quandary on the farm. A consummately resourceful, self-reliant, and principled-almost-to-a-fault person, David remained dedicated to the idea of both sustainable living and agricultural practices. He became certified organic decades ago when he and a precious few others in the local area were willing to dedicate that kind of energy for pursuits that countered conventional practices of the time.
Over the years David tried to remain open to collaborating on his farm to varying levels of success with a variety of people who showed interest in learning from him as well as sharing their own ideals. He was a passionate reader of both fiction and non-fiction his whole life, even stating recently to one of his daughters that books had always remained his greatest companions. Being a voracious consumer of knowledge and perspectives about the workings of the world at large kept him engaged, even if from a distance.
As David’s daughters, we are forever imprinted by the precious time we got to have with our father, first during our childhood as an unconventional family threesome. Pulling weeds in bean and corn fields, hoeing our hearts out on thistles, bathing in the creek in the summer, learning how to drive straight stick in the pastures, even accompanying Dad to the occasional peace demonstration. Now, later in life his influence is drawn upon when we, as mothers, are attempting to integrate into our own families’ lives some of his sensitive spirit, resourcefulness, and capacity to remain expansive towards one’s passions.
Grateful for having shared his life are his daughter, Chuva (Mark Brim) Johnson and their children, Eliot and Cosmo, all of rural Garretson, SD; daughter, Elizabeth (Erik Gerrits) Johnson-Gerrits and their children, Roewyn, Cullen and Alder, all of St. Louis Park, MN; sisters, Mary Webber and Nancy (Steve) Davis; sister-in-law, Diane Johnson; nieces and nephews, extended family members, and many friends. David was preceded in death by his parents, Delbert and Dorothy and his older brother, Gene.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Dakota Rural Action.
