Willard Johnson

Willard Allen “Bill” Johnson, 81, of Circle died in the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025.

He was born to Archie and Marjorie (Olson) Johnson on Dec. 16, 1943, in Pendelton, Ore., the eldest of their children. The family made its way back to Montana after World War II and settled on the Johnson Homestead, 20 miles north of Circle, where they lived a typical farm life along his paternal grandparents and his siblings that soon followed.

His mother and grandmother both died when he was 12 years old and he chose to live with his grandfather, Lage Johnson. He was very close with him and spent the rest of his growing up years with him. Lage died when Bill was 17 and, after that, Bill found work in the oilfields of California and Colorado.

It was in 1966 when he decided to come back to Circle for a visit that he found his “Ol Kraut” waiting table in the Midway Cafe. He was persistent and finally persuaded Marian Haber to marry him and that’s what they did on July 16, 1967. They were married just a week shy of 57 years, when Marian died on July 9, 2024.

The first year of their marriage was spent in Circle and, then in 1968, son Garry was born and they moved to Sidney where Bill found work at the Dodge Dealer. In 1969, they moved to the former Glasgow Air Force Base, where he worked for a fiberglass company. In 1971, they moved back to Circle where he went to the work for the City of Circle in the Public Works Department, patching streets and hauling garbage. They added two daughters to the family soon after, with Kristie in 1972 and Becky in 1973.

He was always a hard worker. Along with working at the city, he also took a job milking dairy cows for Richard Gackle. He decided a few years after Gackles quit milking that the family needed to have a dairy of their own. So, in the early 1980s, the family milked 65 head of Holstein cows until the cheese plant in Beach, N.D., closed. The cows were sold and the family moved to Grandpa Haber’s farm. He tied his hand at a couple of different jobs until he landed a job in maintenance at Circle Public Schools. He worked at the school for over 37 years before he finally retired.

He loved his motorcycles and he and Marian rode thousands of miles on three different Honda Goldwings. They loved touring the U.S. and Canada on their bike and made many friends along the way before they finally decided to hang up the keys.

He was always pretty proud of his children, but that was elevated when he became a grandfather and great-grandfather. He enjoyed having them come visit and often talked about them.

He is survived by his son, Garry of Circle; daughters, Kristie Gabbert of Dickinson, N.D., and Becky Fuhs of Glendive; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Marian; brother, Wilbur; and sister, Winnie Pugh.

Family will receive friends on Friday, Sept. 26, from 4-6 p.m. at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Circle. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. at the Faith Assembly of God Church in Circle. Interment will follow in the family lot of the Riverview Cemetery in Circle.