Lester Reinold Johnson, age 96, died of natural causes on November 19th, 2008, in Cut Bank, MT, surrounded by his loving family. Cremation has taken place and a celebration of his life will be held next summer, August 22, 2009.

Lester was born April 27, 1912 on a ranch outside of Tiger Butte, MT.  He was the oldest son of Hugo Reinold and Elizabeth Dee (Howard) Johnson and had 3 siblings: a brother, Leonard Clarence, and sisters Margaret Dee (Fontaine) Canoy and Ethel Bernice (Winslow). Lester grew up on the family farm in the Red Butte area and attended elementary school at the Red Butte School.  He attended high school in Great Falls. 

In 1935 he married Ruth Kathryn (Collings) at the Red Butte Church.  Lester met Ruth at a country dance and box social at Pleasant View Hall.  Ruth was the absolute love of his life and they were married for 73 wonderful years.

In his 96 years he worked a variety of jobs.  Lester was known as a man of high integrity and his hard work helped shape the Montana landscape. As a young man, Lester delivered milk with a team and wagon in the Eden Country south of Great Falls.  He farmed and worked on road-building jobs using a team of horses.  Lester worked at the 7-UP Gold Mine near Lincoln MT and at the Emma Mine in Butte. He worked on the Fort Peck Dam, then later on operated a sawmill at Logging Creek, south of Great Falls.  Lester went to Alaska on a Liberty Ship as a civilian during WWII to work at Shemya building airplane runways.  He also worked in the Northwest Territories helping to build the Alcan Highway.  His address while there was: Joe Graves Cat Train, Whitehorse, Northwest Territories. 

After the death of his father in 1944, Lester returned to the family farm to help his mother.  In 1946, Lester and Ruth along with their children moved to the Browning area where he ranched with his cousin, Fred Johnson.  He ranched for several years and was an expert horseman. In 1953, Lester and his family moved to St. Mary (next to Glacier Park) to open their own business, Johnson