By MaryHelen Swanson

The boys at the bakery make an attempt to solve all the problems of the world each morning before 9 a.m. Seventy-six-year-old Ellis Johnson has a place at the table at Koepís Village Bakery, where he puts in his two cents worth. But then, he knows a lot about the town, heís seen a lot of change and has a lot of background on the goings on in North Branch.

And he has, over the years, contributed his time and effort to make the city a better place in which to live.

For this reason, Johnson, a life-long resident of the area, is being honored this year as the North Branch Lions Community Service Award recipient.

He was born in the North Branch School District, his address was Lindstrom and his folks had a Center City phone number. Thatís the way if often goes in the rural parts of the county.

Johnson attended the North Branch schools graduating from high school in 1945 with 42 classmates.

He went in the Navy right out of high school.

ìI graduated June 3,î he said, ìand went in the Navy June 9.î

At 17, the hardest part was to get his folks to sign so he could enlist, he said, he was the only son of four children.

At that time, there was no talk about what boys were going to do after high school, he said, only what branch of the service youíd be joining. Three in his class enlisted together.

In the Navy, he served almost all of his three years aboard a ship in the Pacific arena.

There was poor communications back then, he noted, you could go a month without a letter.

When he returned, he joined the Army Reserves and was a part of the 817th Army Ordinance Supply Company that left North Branch to serve during the Korean War.

With this military background, it was natural that he serve as the countyís Veteranís Service Officer from 1963 to 1967. It was a part-time position.

The other part of the time he was working as the city assessor for North Branch. That was back when you assessed personal property along with the land, he said.

During the time as vetís service officer, someone put a bug in his ear to consider being the administrator at what is now Green Acres Country Care Center.

It worked, and Johnson served in that capacity for 20 years, from June 1967 to December 1987.

In 1953, besides marrying Verona Sederberg, he bought the Phillips 66 station, on the site where Chilson Jewelry store is today, and ran that business until 1960. His marriage lasted much longer,however, he and Verona celebrated 50 years last June.

Johnson said in the early 60s people were worried about downtown business with the coming of the interstate.
I-35 was opened in 1969.

ìThe freeway changed things forever,í he said.

For the good?

ìSome of each,î he said.

Johnson served as mayor of North Branch from 1988-89. Then again from 1992 to 2000. He served on the consolidation committee, a group which met for two years to study joining North Branch with Branch. That consolidation took place in 1994 after much consideration and a public vote.

ìI was the last mayor in the old North Branch,î he said, ìand the first mayor in the new North Branch.î

So many things in his life began in 1953, including his employment with the school district as a bus driver.

The 25-year-old Johnson drove one of the districtís 40-passenger buses keeping a firm hand on the student behavior. He drove for 14 years, then when his job as veteranís service officer went full-time, he stopped driving the bus.

But, when he retired in 1987, he went back to driving school bus, putting in another 15 years in the second go round. He marvels that the buses are now 90-passenger big. But he has no qualm about driving one, not even in poor weather.

He finally gave up driving school bus in 1988, but he still continues to train new bus drivers for the school district.

Johnson has served on the council and as head usher at his church, Trinity Lutheran, in North Branch.

He has been a member of North Branch American Legion Post #85 for 57 years and served as Commander 1953-54. He also served as District Vice Commander for two years.

He also has been a member of the VFW Post #6424 for 40 years. In some of his spare moments, ìwhenever I hear theyíre biting,î Johnson enjoys fishing.

You can find Johnson at the bakery shop five days a week in the morning, but at 11:30 a.m. on Fridays youíll find him at the kitchen door of the senior center picking up lunch for the folks on his Meals on Wheels route.

Looking back over the years, the 2004 recipient of the Lions Community Service Award had this to say about the life in the NB community, ìThere certainly has been change, but ... the one thing guaranteed is that there will always be change.î

Top of Page

©ECM Post Review

6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com