Walter Winfield Johnson Jr. was born to Winfield and Amy (Carlson) Johnson in Sioux City, Iowa on March 13, 1931. Walter peacefully entered into death overnight January 8, 2014 at his home in Alcester, S.D. Raised in rural Alcester, he began a life-long love of animals, attended Cole and Miller country schools, was active in A-1 Alcester 4-H, and graduated from Alcester High School in 1949 where he served as co-editor of the first edition of the high school yearbook. He attend Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota for a year before entering the Coast Guard in 1951 where he served in posts taking him from Seattle and Neah Bay, Washington to Mystic, Connecticut. Upon his honorable discharge from the service, Walt enrolled in South Dakota State University in Brookings where he earned his Bachelor's degree in 1959. During his collegiate career, he enjoyed being involved in the Lutheran Student Association, working in theatre productions and participating in the annual Hobo Day celebration, most especially the beard-growing contest that he won in 1956. Serving as an International Foreign Youth Exchange (IFYE) student to Norway in 1960 was one of his most memorable life experiences. Walt began his professional career in Omaha, Nebraska in 1961 working for Commercial Credit Corporation. On August 24, 1963, he married Ellen Burkman at Beaver Valley Lutheran Church in rural Valley Springs, S.D. In 1965, they moved from North Platte, Nebraska to Alcester where they farmed, raised their children and were active in Farm Bureau. After farming for many years at the family farm, Walt and Ellen moved into Alcester in 2008 where he resided until his death. Confirmed at Nathanael Lutheran Church, he remained an active member throughout his life. He was a member of the Alcester American Legion Post #86, serving as past post commander. Walt was an avid flower and vegetable gardener, especially notorious for his annual bounty of tomatoes, which he enjoyed canning and transforming into his own special salsa recipe each summer. His favorite past times included cooking, listening to music, reading and visiting wherein he was known for being an independent-minded individual who was not afraid to speak his opinion on a wide range of topics. He liked exploring new ideas and he was a tinkerer - always using his ingenuity to repurpose or find a unique solution to meet a need. There was little he could not fix or was not willing to try. To that end, he thought it only made sense to donate his body to the USD medical school in hopes it would help students learn or try something new. In addition to his cat, Otto, he is survived by his wife of 50 years, Ellen, and their children, Kersten and Karl, all of Alcester; his sister Helen Carter of St. Peter, Minn., brothers Roger (Shirley) of Hutchinson, Kansas and Dean (Nancy) of Alcester. His parents and an infant brother preceded him in death. A memorial service will be held 11:00 AM, Tuesday, January 14 at Nathanael Lutheran Church in Alcester.