Carol Lee Johnson

Carol Lee Johnson, 82, of Pleasanton died April 24, 2023 at Kearney Regional Medical Center. Memorial Services will be 10:30 am, April 28, 2023 at Grace Lutheran Church in Pleasanton with Pastor Dean Hanson officiating. The burial will follow at the Pleasanton Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, April 27, 2023 at Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral Home. Memorials are suggested to Grace Lutheran Church or Pleasanton Volunteer Fire Department. Carol Lee was born on September 14, 1940 in Kearney, NE to John T. and Bertha S. (Kreoger) Carman. She grew up on a farm in the Pleasant Valley area as the little sister to two big brothers who both teased and protected her. Her early school years were spent at a country school in Pleasant Valley. High school years found her attending and graduating from Pleasanton High School. On January 27, 1957, she was united in marriage to Richard (Dick) Hartman where they resided on a farm outside of Shelton with their two sons, Steve and Dave. On June 17, 1966, Carol Lee married Charles Johnson. In addition to Carol Lee’s sons, she and Charlie had a daughter, Jolene. They all made their home in Pleasanton, Nebraska where Carol was proud to live and support her community. She began working as a cook at Pleasanton Public School and later became the secretary. She was “mom of the school” where she did everything from bookkeeping to “boo-boos” until her retirement in 2006. Music was also a big part of Carol Lee’s life. If she wasn’t giving piano lessons or tuning up her own three kids to sing for an event, she could be found at Grace Lutheran Church climbing the stairs to the balcony where she would make the ivories on the organ sing. Her sixty-five years in that balcony is just one great example of her sharing her faith in God. Her grandkids were her pride and joy. She would never tire of attending their sporting and musical events. From Fargo to Dallas and Kansas City to Kearney those same grandchildren loved Grandma Carol Lee with all their hearts. She filled their hearts with memories such as these: decorating for Christmas, making cookies, frying an egg sandwich, sitting on the organ bench with her during church and sneaking gum from her purse, using the old grinder to make cranberry relish, the secret handshake, playing with the old western holsters and guns in the basement, and the family Christmas program in the middle of the living room with Grandma Carol Lee’s fingers tapping out carols on the piano. If you knew Carol Lee, you know she always had a song in her heart, smile on her face and a kind word for everyone. She will be missed, but we know in our hearts she is looking down from a balcony far above us while enjoying the peace of our Lord. Carol Lee is survived by her husband Charles Johnson of Pleasanton, NE; daughter, Jolene and Ken Berg of Kearney, NE; sons, Steve and Deb Hartman of Grand Island, NE, Dave and Teresa Hartman of Omaha, NE; sister-in-law, Gweneth Adkins of Columbia, TN; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Carol Lee was preceded in death by her brothers Ron and Darold “Red” Carman and brother-in-law Jerry Johnson.

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Carol Lee Johnson

September 14, 1940 - April 24, 2023