Rita Johnson

Rita Mary Johnson

Passed peacefully at Pillars Hospice Home in Oakdale, Minnesota, on November 6, 2025, surrounded by family with care and comfort. A devoted daughter, sister, aunt, great aunt, and great-great aunt, nurse, and quilter, Rita spent her life giving to others with steady hands, and a warm, curious heart. She was born to Pat and Ann (MacDonald) Johnson in Stillwater, MN on January 14, 1940. Rita carried the values of her family-a farmer's resilience and a teacher's love of learning-into everything she did. She found joy in books and in the slow, meditative work of quilting, creating pieces that kept family memories stitched together across generations. Professionally she cared for others for more than three decades as a nurse in the Twin Cities and for a time in Honolulu, bringing skill, patience, and compassion into every room she entered.

Rita was preceded in death by her parents, Pat and Ann (MacDonald) Johnson; by her sisters JoAnn Jantz and Faye Thomas; and her nephew Micheal Thomas. She is lovingly remembered and survived by her "kids," (nieces and nephews): Dawn (Dave) Peterson, Dean (Becky) Jantz, Keith (Deb) Jantz, Kelly (Jodi) Jantz, Karen (Tim) Rassmussen, and Scott (Cristina) Thomas, along with a wide circle of great- and great-great-grand nieces and nephews who will carry her stories forward. Rita's legacy is the care she gave, music she shared, and the traditions she passed on-quiet acts of service, a handcrafted quilt for every milestone, a well-loved book always at hand, and a steady presence in times of celebration and sorrow. She brought her nursing gifts home, tending family members with the same dignity and tenderness she offered her patients. She will be remembered for her humility and the many small comforts she offered to those she loved.

Gathering Thursday, November 13, 10:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M., at BRADSHAW CELEBRATION OF LIFE CENTER, 2800 Curve Crest Boulevard, Stillwater. Time of sharing 12:00 P.M.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in the name of Rita Johnson to the American Cancer Society (donate.cancer.org) or Beyond Hospice, The Pillars Hospice Home Fund, 6025 Upper 35th St. Oakdale, MN (www.BeyondHospiceMN.org/donate.)