Pauline G. Johnson

Pauline G. Johnson (Medved) was born in 1928 in Johnstown, PA, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, during the Great Depression. Alongside her twin sister, Eilene, she had to leave school to work in a local clothing factory, where she developed a love for sewing and became an accomplished seamstress. Despite the early end to her formal education, Pauline later obtained her high school diploma and pursued numerous college courses.

Pauline met Oren in Chicago while he was attending the Milwaukee School of Engineering during the winter months. They married in 1951 and immediately moved to the Territory of Alaska, where Oren had already established himself through big game hunting, fishing, building a cabin, and developing his entrepreneurial skills, which eventually led to the founding of their joint venture, Anchorage Electric Company. Oren had moved to Alaska in 1946, and their company grew significantly. However, Oren's passion lay in helping electrify small Alaskan villages, fostering lifelong friendships with many residents who often stayed with the family in Anchorage.

Pauline raised four children while actively supporting Oren in their business and his numerous ambitions, such as stock car racing, sponsoring and hosting native villagers' dog teams for the Fur Rendezvous race, hunting, fishing, and flying airplanes—Pauline also soloed as a pilot. Both Pauline and Oren loved polka dancing and often won competitions. They traveled extensively, immersing themselves in various cultures.

After Oren passed away in 1994, Pauline remained in Anchorage until 2014, spending 63 years there. During her widowhood, she remained active in the community and with friends. Her son Mark often checked in on her, discovering her remarkable independence even into her mid-80s. Eventually, it was decided she would move to Colorado with her daughter Robin. For the last decade, Pauline lived in various places under Robin's RN oversight. Most recently, Robin and her husband Mike moved to Iowa to be closer to their children and grandchildren, where Pauline spent her final three years until she was called home to be reunited with Oren and their son Steve.

Steve, Carl, Mark, and Robin have been blessed by Pauline and Oren's examples in life and their encouragement to pursue any field of employment and express their beliefs freely. Their parents' adventurous spirit and dedication have profoundly influenced them, leading to success in their own unique ways.

Pauline is survived by her sons, Carl David Johnson of Corvallis, OR and Mark Allen Johnson (Kathy) of Boyne City, MI; daughter, Roberta “Robin” Diehl (Mike) of Winterset; daughter-in-law, Katy Warner of San Francisco, CA; 11 grandchildren, Betsy Solberg, Cindy McGuire, Daniel McGuire, Abigail Beyer, Natalie Tillotson, Wayne Johnson, Tempest Tillotson, Edward Johnson, Robert Johnson, Maura Moser, and Joan Johnson; 35 great-grandchildren; and special people, Cassidy Louise Moore and Sotia Campos Moore.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Mary (Thompson) Medved; her husband Galen “Oren” Johnson; a son, Steven Earl Johnson; brother, Carl Medved; sisters, Mary, Marian, Eileen, Frances, Louisa, Josephine; and a grandson, Karl Johnson.

Let's celebrate all that Pauline accomplished in her life and remember her adventurous spirit, her dedication to family, friends, and community, and her remarkable journey to Alaska, where she joined Oren and passed that pioneering spirit on to future generations.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:30 AM, Friday, July 26, 2024, at the Westkirk Presbyterian Church in Urbandale (2700 Colby Woods Dr., Urbandale). A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM, Saturday, July 27, 2024 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Winterset (1026 N. 8th Ave., Winterset).

A plaque in Pauline’s honor will be displayed on the Pioneer Cemetery Memorial Wall in the Anchorage Cemetery.