Murray Gene Johnson was born to Eldon and Edna Johnson on March 10, 1955 in Deshler, Nebraska. On April 13, 2024 at the age of 69, Murray passed away at his home surrounded by his loving family.
He loved God, his family, and his country.
Murray attended Davenport Community School where he graduated in 1973. He was a stellar athlete and has long been remembered for his skills on the basketball court, football, and baseball fields. Though his classroom accomplishments were maybe not as memorable as his sports endeavors, he was a good student and often recalled his most influential teacher, Mrs. Fisher, who had a lasting impact on him. Following graduation, he attended the University of Nebraska as a walk-on for his favorite team.
Murray and Christy Doherty were introduced to each other by mutual friends in 1977 and it was love at first sight. They were united in marriage December 16, 1978 at Christ’s Lutheran Church of Davenport, Nebraska. This union blessed them with two wonderful daughters, Meghan and Lauren. Murray and Christy left the Davenport area to explore new horizons as Murray pursued a new career in sales and marketing, taking them to Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. However, the sudden passing of his father and the love of his hometown and its peaceful rural setting drew them back so they returned to Davenport in August of 1989 to move into his family home and raise their two young girls.
Murray’s background in farming and his passion for the industry led him to his ultimate career in the irrigation industry. This change brought about the perfect combination of his two passions-farming and sales. Murray worked as a Regional Territory Manager for Valmont’s Irrigation Division until his retirement in 2019. Equally comfortable in a business setting as he was with farmers, who were his favorite people, he found the best of both worlds. Murray built a reputation in the irrigation industry as a strong leader never wavering from his strong work ethic and commitment to excellence. The personal relationships he built there meant so much to him.
Above all, Murray loved his family and time spent with them. He was a devoted and loving husband and father. And was the ultimate provider in every sense of the word. He was a fixer, a problem solver and dream come true maker. He was our solid and steady voice of reason, the one we all turned to for solutions and the one we all looked up to and admired. No matter the problem, he had a concise and efficient solution we could rely on because it would be dealt with in his dependable detail-oriented way. He was the rock every family needs.
He loved music and going to concerts, where many happy memories were made. He loved food and cooking and always wanted to know what the next meal would be, and was especially happy if it included mashed potatoes and gravy. He was the Grill Master of the family and was known for cooking the best steaks in the world no matter how you liked them cooked. He was a loyal and steadfast Husker fan, in good years and bad. And on any given weekend college sports were always at the forefront on TV or on the radio.
Murray was an animal lover and the Johnson family had an open-door policy for any and every animal we found in need. None were ever turned away and all were welcome. He loved backyard birds of all kinds, especially the cardinals and doves. The bird feeders and baths were always full so that our yard was filled with birdsong year-round.
He loved gardening and prided himself in his meticulously straight rows and picture-perfect vegetables, most of which he ate, with the exception of zucchini, kale and Christy’s beloved okra.
Most times he would be seen wearing regular clothes but a little-known side of him was also quite comfortable in anything his girls presented him to wear, including hula skirts and leis and various off-color or inappropriate t-shirts.
He loved good movies and some not so good ones, too, from Christmas Vacation to Planes, Trains and Automobiles. He laughed out loud at the same time each time he watched and we all anticipated his laughter which was like no other. His all-time favorite, a good Godfather marathon, was never to be missed and he could literally quote each line. A good western was always his go-to unless of course it was a sports day.
On November 21st Murray’s family received the news no family ever wants to hear. He had a rare and incurable cancer which had spread. Given an impossible chance of surviving he never gave up and in his usual fashion fought bravely for his family. But ultimately, he lost the battle leaving behind so many who loved, respected, and admired him.
Murray is survived by his wife, Christy, his daughters, Meghan and Lauren, his son in law Shiloh and his cherished grandson, Maverick. He is also survived by his sister Marcia Fouraker and his brother Phil Johnson and Phil’s wife Deb Johnson as well as his dear nieces and nephews and many cousins with whom he shared so many special memories.
A Celebration of Life gathering will be held in the near future, so that all of us who knew and loved him may gather to mourn his loss and celebrate his life. Details of the celebration will be announced at a later date.
Memorials may be sent to The Murray Johnson Memorial Fund, or Start Over Rover (Animal Rescue), 134 N. Barnes Ave., Hastings, Ne 68901.
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