Jim was raised on a farm near Manfred, North Dakota, where he developed a love for animals and learned he could fix just about anything if he put his mind to it. Jim graduated from Harvey High School and then started college at North Dakota State University, but youth got the best of him and he had to drop out of school. Unfortunately, the draft caught up with him and he was sent to Vietnam.
Jim served in the US Army from 1967 to 1969. After his honorable discharge, he came home and went back to NDSU to finish his degree. While in Fargo, he met and married Shirley Francis. Together they had two daughters, Jamie and Laura.
Jim graduated from NDSU with a degree in psychology. He worked at the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown for a while before he decided that that was not the career for him. The family moved to Grand Forks so Jim could attend law school at the University of North Dakota. After earning his Juris Doctorate, Jim became the Assistant State’s Attorney for Mercer County. Eventually, he was elected into the lead position as the State’s Attorney in Mercer County and also held the same position in Sioux County in later years.
Jim was heavily involved in veterans organizations advocating for veterans benefits, especially Vietnam veterans. He was very active in the VFW, the American Legion and the Vietnam Veterans of America. He held many officer positions in these organizations, including the commander of the North Dakota Chapter of the American Legion. He combined his love of motorcycles with his drive for bringing attention to the POW/MIA issue and the needs of all veterans and participated in Rolling Thunder, a cross-country motorcycle ride to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.
Jim wanted to return to his childhood hometown so he and Shirley moved to Harvey, North Dakota. In 2011 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which was caused by his exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam. This eventually led to his retirement.
As his disease progressed and it became necessary for him to have full-time medical care, Jim and Shirley made one more move into the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon, North Dakota. The staff of the NDVH provided excellent care for Jim for the remainder of his life.
Jim was an avid motorcyclist, fisherman, and musician. He was well-known for his dry wit and sense of humor. Above all of this, he cherished his family the most.
Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Leslie and Olga (Opsal) Johnson; his brothers, Larry and David; and his sister, Dianne. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Shirley Johnson; daughters Jamie (Josh) Maier and Laura (Michael) Street; grandchildren Grace and Madeline Maier, and Ethan Street; sisters Marilyn and Laverne (Gwyn); brother-in-law Mark Swartz; and several nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior at the North Dakota Veterans Home Chapel in Lisbon.
View the complete obituary here: https://www.dahlstromfuneralhome.com/obituary/james-jim-johnson
