Obituary of Janis Faye Johnson

Janis Faye Johnson

Janis Faye (Kolp) Johnson, age 70 of Yankton, SD died Saturday, May 16, 2020 at the Avera Sister James Care Center, Yankton, SD.  Private family memorial services will be held via ZOOM June 21, 2020.  On line condolences may be sent at: www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com. 

Janis Faye (Kolp) Johnson was born in Sioux City Iowa on July 25th, 1949 to Carl Seymour Kolp and Olive Loretta (Geringer) Kolp of Paullina, Iowa. During Janis's teenage years in Paullina Iowa, Janis worked as a babysitter for a short while until in the mid 1960s she found her first real job at the well loved Lange's Cafe . On April 27th, 1968, Janis dedicated her life in baptism to Jehovah and became one of Jehovah's Witnesses.  She graduated from Paullina High School May 22, 1968.  After graduation, Janis moved to various towns including Sheldon, Iowa and Sioux Falls, SD, where she worked at a local hospital  in the Laundry Department, before moving to Yankton, SD where she met Elmer Humphrey Johnson.  Janis Kolp married Elmer Johnson on December 7, 1979 and to this union, two sons were born:  Carl Johnson (November 14, 1983) and Samuel Johnson (June 16th, 1985). During those early years Janis and her family lived in the apartments on 100 W. 4th Street. In 1988, Janis and Elmer and their sons moved to 317 Pearl Street in Yankton, South Dakota and lived there for almost 31 years. During Janis's life in Yankton, she worked at various jobs including a motel on Broadway, a downtown Daylight Donuts as a donut maker in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Then she found work at Buhl's Cleaners, first at their old location in the old Chimey Building downtown to there present location until about 1993. Then in 1994, Janis went to work at Aalfs Manufacturing and worked there until their closing in 1999. Janis's next job was at Staples at the Yankton Mall from about late 1999 or early 2000 to their store's closing. A few months later, Janis went to work at Cimpl's and loyaly worked there for more then 14 years until an ankle injury kept her from going back to work forcing Janis to retire. Janis lived with her sons at 317 Pearl Street until in 2019 she was admitted to the Sacred Heart Hospital after falling in the bathroom at home.  She was later diagnosed with dementia and put in the Autumn Winds Assisted Living Home in early 2019 where she lived until she was admitted to Sacred Heart Hospital after an accidental fall in early April 2020. Janis was finally admitted to the Avera Sister James Nursing Home for therapy to control her diabetes that she had for more than 18 years. She suffered from an infection which, along with Janis's diabetes, lead to her death on May 16, 2020 at the age of 70.

Janis's hobbies included reading, walking, bike riding, cooking, gardening, talking to friends, going out with fellow Witnesses and telling people about the bible. Janis would make quilts for various friends and family. She also liked to sit with her cats Peaches, Oreo, Tony, Spooky, and Garfield. Janis always worked very hard and never was lazy. She loved all of her family and friends very dearly. She always wanted to offer help to whoever asked in whatever way she could. Janis was very strong willed and never let problems or people bring her down. Janis also had a very wonderful sense of humor and loved to make people feel better. She really loved all animals especially horses and hated to see them being mistreated. She even wanted to be a veternarian so she could take care of animals and help them from suffering. Janis was a faithful and loving wife to Elmer and everloving mother to Carl and Sam. And most of all Janis loved her God, Jehovah and faithfully followed his son Jesus and always had the belief in the resurrection and the future paradise on Earth where she would be able to see all her dead loved ones again  alive and in perfect health and having all kinds of animals to play with, but most of all lovely serving her God, Jehovah, forever.  

Janis is survived by her sons, Carl Johnson and Sam Johnson along with various nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Janis was preceded in death by her father, Carl Kolp (1969); her mother, Olive Kolp (2014); sister, Ruth Kolp (1974); brother, Earl Kolp (2016) and husband, Elmer Johnson (2013).

A private ceremony to be held on Zoom at 2 pm on June 21st for the family and friends of Janis Johnson. It will be followed by the burial at the Rosehill Cemetery in Scotland South Dakota.