Gordon Charles Johnson

Gordon Charles Johnson, age 82, of Lake Worth, FL passed away Friday, December 15, 2017 at the Finnish-American Village.  He was born September 15, 1935 in Soudan, MN.

Gordon is preceded in death by his parents Charles F. Johnson and Fanny A. (Pakkala) Johnson, four sisters:  Ruth (Aunes) Salmela, Helen (Skarp) (Bill) Yliniemi, Mildred (Walt) Garvue, and Verna (Hugo) Hargis, and three brothers:  Arthur (Jane) Johnson, Elmer (Sylvia) Johnson and Adolph (Virginia) Johnson.  He is survived by two sisters-in-law, many nieces and nephews, friends of the hiking world, and numerous brothers and sisters in faith.

Moving from his home in Embarrass, MN, Gordon attended business college at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis where he received a degree and worked in St. Paul as a court reporter for 10 years.  He moved to Finland where he taught English and created a multi-media program on Minnesota Finns, which became so popular he toured major cities in Finland to share his passion.  In 1976 Gordon moved from Finland to West Palm Beach, FL where he continued his court reporter career and created another multi-media program “Song of Finland” in which he toured and lectured in five US states and Toronto, Canada.

Gordon had many creative talents, including:  Videographer, photographer, artist, musician, music producer, book author, and hiker extraordinaire.  He was a founding member in 1992 of the BIG O HIKE, a 109 mile, 9 day hike around Lake Okeechobee in central Florida.  Gordon completed this trek 20 times, logging five million steps or 2,180 miles.

Gordon got home for Christmas, received his 2017 Christmas present early…eternal life in Heaven with God and his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A memorial gathering will happen at the Finnish-American Village, 1800 South Drive, Lake Worth, FL, on Saturday, January 13, at 2:00 pm.