Ida Johnson

Ida E. Penney (Fisher) Johnson, 95, passed away Nov. 13, 2011, at Livingston Memorial Hospital, in Livingston.

Ida was born in Kalispell on Aug. 7, 1916, to Walter and Amber Penney. She went to school in the Flathead Valley area. She worked in her father's lumber mill and married John Franklin "Frank" Fisher in 1941. Four children were born to them: Aleta Hering, of Livingston, Jay Fisher, of Whitefish, Gary Fisher, of Wilsall, and Linda Gentry, of Boise, Idaho.

She enjoyed life on Elk Park Road, in Columbia Falls, raising her family, a large garden and the animals that were on the farm.

She gave her heart to the Lord in 1968 and then in 1971 lost the love of her life, Frank. Ida stayed on the farm raising the rest of her family and went to work as a janitor at the Columbia Falls High School. In 1976, she married Ralph Johnson. She enjoyed camping, fishing and traveling until he passed in 1999.

Ida sold the farm and moved to the Livingston-Wilsall area and resided with her son Gary and daughter Aleta, sharing their homes. Later, she moved into the Livingston Health and Rehabilitation Center and spent the rest of her life there.

"Want to find Ida? Just look in her garden full of flowers, vegetables and berries; you might find her and a grandkid eating berries and picking flowers. Or look in her sewing room; where she is building one of her many quilts, sewing a blouse or shirt. You might see her needles flashing on a pillow case, afghan, dress, scarf or a stuffed animal. Her needle work was pronominal. In the kitchen, yum! Fresh bread. She was a great cook. Or the hoe might be dropped because she went to the woods to pick berries with the bears, go for a ride in the countryside or fishing and camping with whomever asked her to go or go with her. She is gone from those places now, but you can look for her in your heart. Ida will be sorely missed by family, friends and those whose lives she touched. Thank you all for loving her and God bless."

Ida was preceded in death by both parents, her step-parent, three brothers and spouses, two sisters and one spouse, two nieces, two nephews, two grand nieces and two grand nephews.

She is survived by her four children, 12 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, one great great grandchild, one brother-in-law and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service took place at Glacier Memorial Gardens, in Kalispell, on Nov. 21, 2011.