Funeral of Sen. Tim Johnson
Johnson loved paper maps and he had his own specific life road map, Hope said.
“Tim’s faith was the road map of his enter life,” Hope said. “He believed it out and lived it out in every aspect of his life.”
Johnson’s life as a public servant, father and husband were marked by dedication, authenticity and care, several speakers said during the funeral.
“The greatest gift we ever had was to be children of Timothy and Barbara Johnson,” said Johnson’s son Brooks.
His parents were examples of moral courage and what doing the right thing was, Brooks said.
Brooks and his brother Brendan talked about how Johnson always made time for his family including attending sporting and other events.
Brendan said the family always attended church each Sunday. If someone was too sick for church, they were too sick for TV that day.
But, Brendan said, their dad struggled with cooking and even considered making a grilled cheese sandwich as “too fancy.”
Former U.S. lawmakers also said Johnson’s dedication to all of South Dakota was much like devotion to family.
“South Dakotans are one big extended family. And Sen. Tim Johnson, was, and will be remembered always as one its most loyal, reliable and trusted members,” said Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, the president of Augustana University and former Democratic U.S. Representative who served with Johnson for seven years.
“Tim knew that part of living a good life is caring well for one another. The care we give, the care we receive, among close family…among the extended family that is South Dakota, the family he loved and loved serving for 36 years,” Herseth Sandlin said.
“Tim was beloved in Indian Country, said Ira Taken Alive, a former Johnson staff member and member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Johnson may have received more star quilts (in thanks) than any other person, Taken Alive said.
Johnson earned admiration and respect, even from those who didn’t agree with him on every topic, because of “his integrity and authenticity,” Herseth Sandlin said.
Herseth Sandlin and former Democrat U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle worked in a bipartisan manner to secure water projects, including those on tribal lands and the Lewis & Clark project and improving health care for all and improvements for veterans.
Water projects and other accomplishments are examples of “Tim’s profound sense of the power of public service,” Daschle said.
Daschle also cited Johnson’s example in dealing with a brain hemorrhage in 2006.
“His resilience was not just physical. It was spiritual and emotional,” Daschle said.
Johnson showed unwavering tenacity through his recovery, in large part because of the love and support she shared with his wife Barbara, Daschle said.
Herseth Sandlin described Johnson as a servant leader who did not change his values. And he’d often share his humor, including well-time wit, during intense discussions.
One of the Bible passages shared on Friday, Matthew 25:31-40 that speaks of giving water to the thirsty, feeding those who are hungry and welcoming strangers, is like a compass for Johnson’s life, Hope said.
Johnson was the longest serving public official in the state’s history. Johnson won 16 straight elections from 1978 on.
