Luella Johnson, 85

Luella Blanche Johnson age 85 of Balaton passed away Sunday, January 16 at the Sanford Medical Center in Tracy.  Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday at Victory Christian Church in Balaton.  Visitation will be held from noon – 2:00 p.m. Thursday at the church.  Interment will be held in the Lakeside Cemetery in Balaton at a later date.  Online condolences may be sent at www.tracyareafuneralhome.com.  The Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Luella was born January 8, 1926 on the family farm in Klemme, IA to Vernor & Lena (Cobbs) Lewis.  She attended grade school in a one room country school house, and graduated from Klemme High School.  After graduation, she attended school for nursing in Des Moines. 

On May 9, 1945, Luella was united in marriage to Archie Johnson in Marshall, MN.  Together the couple lived on the Johnson family farm, where they owned and operated Johnson’s Poultry Farm and Hatchery.  Archie died December 18, 1999.  Luella continued living on the farm until March 2008 when she entered Lakeview Assisted Living.  She then entered Colonial Manor in March 2010.  Luella operated an adult foster care for many years, and later worked as a volunteer foster grandparent in Marshall.

Luella is survived by her children: Michael (Luann) Johnson of Balaton, Linda (Edward) Haag of Marshall, and Lanelle (Jerry) Genzler of Garvin;  8 grandchildren; 6 great grandchildren; sister Evelyn Wickert of Las Vegas, N.M.; and many other relatives and friends. 

Preceding her in death are her parents, husband Archie, brothers Glen and Luverne, and grandson William.

Bettie Ramsey, 86

Mass of Christian Burial for Bettie Ramsey, former Tracy resident, will be held Thursday, January 20, 2011, 2:00 p.m. at Guardian Angels Catholic Church, 8260 4th St. N., Oakdale, MN. Visitation one hour before Mass.  Interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, summer 2011.

Bettie Jean (Porter Evans) Ramsey was born to Florence Nellie (Whitted) Porter and Glen Porter, June 1st, 1924, in Omaha Nebraska. She passed away on January 13th, 2011, at Shalom Home East in St. Paul, MN.

Bettie grew up in Omaha, raised by her mother and step-father, John Meredith Evans. As a young adult she enlisted in the Navy as a Wave and served as a teletype operator in Washington D.C.  One of her most cherished memories was of attending a tea where she met Eleanor Roosevelt, who gave Bettie and her friends a tour of the White House and then hosted them on a trip downtown in the President’s limousine.

On Thanksgiving day in 1948, Bettie married Michael James Ramsey, Jr., in Omaha, NE. They raised their family in Richfield, MN, from 1956 to 1967 when they moved to a home in Tracy, MN, across the street from the old high school on Third Street. They were welcomed as new parishioners at St. Mary’s Catholic Church where they met a wide circle of other Tracy couples. Over the next three decades they thoroughly enjoyed cookouts, cross country skiing and canoeing in the Tracy area. Around the time of Mike’s retirement from Ed Phillips and Sons Liquor Distributors, they moved to a home on Lake Shetek. They lived there until they moved to Apache Junction, AZ, where Mike died in March of 2009.

In Tracy Bettie was a hospital and VFW auxiliary member, a member of the Tracy Country Club and active in investment, luncheon and birthday clubs. She loved decorating, and for a number of years worked at Almlie’s Furniture Store. She had two green thumbs and delighted in her arts and crafts projects. Because she was so good at planning ahead and was an excellent cook, she made entertaining look easy. 

Bettie is survived by her children Pam (Tom) Keul of St. Paul, MN, Claudia (John) Antonelli of Gold Canyon, AZ, and Jon Ramsey of Tracy, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, her sister Jacqueline Ferer and her brother Ronald Evans. She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Lois Keholm.