Walter Johnson

Walter David Ted Johnson, 85, of Great Falls, passed away on March 17, 2014 with his beloved family by his side.A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 20, 2014 at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow at Dutton Cemetery in Dutton, MT. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.Walter was born December 1928 in Great Falls, Montana to Millard and Bertha Johnson. He grew up in Dutton, where his family owned and operated a dairy farm. He married Lois Scarborough in December 1950. Walter served at the military bases in Georgia and Ohio as a military policeman in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean conflict from 1950 to 1952.He and Lois moved to north Cut Bank in 1954, where they purchased land to begin farming and ranching. His lifelong work and passion were his cows and family.In 2000, they sold their farm/ranch north of Cut Bank and moved to Fort Shaw where they bought irrigated land and started building his herd again.Walter had heart surgery in 2009, when his health began to fail, due to the many complications. His family would tell you that is when he slowed down and they were finally able to spend quality time with him.Walter is survived by his wife, Lois, of 63 years; daughter Kathy (Mark) Walker and their children, Thornton, Ruthann, Justin, Courtney, and Talia; daughter Debbie (Vern) Cichosz and their children, Travis, James, Dusty, and Nathan; and daughter Jayne (Roger) Gettel and their children, Clayton and Calvin; sister Beverly Loch; brother Donald; seventeen great-grandchildren; caregivers Rebecca, Megann, Kris, Nikki, Maria and Kayla.He was preceded in death by his parents, Millard and Bertha Johnson; brother Eugene; and infant granddaughter, Shelly Marie.In lieu of flowers, donations in Walters name may be made to a charity of your choice.