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Show SERVICES FOR i PIONEER j CONDUCTED j HV NK1.UA JOHNSON Funeral services for Willis K. lohnson, 88, Springville pioneer, vere held Sunday afternoon in i ;he Tliiril wanl chapel, under the j, lirwiion of Bishop G. C. Laney, i' ind interment was in the Ever-;roen Ever-;roen cemetery. The death of Mr. Johnson, only iiirvivor of the first pioneer train B settle in Springville, was caus-t caus-t id by a heart attack following in illness of about two weeks. 1 U the time of his death he was i iving in the little adobe home in Third West and Center in 1 Springville, that he bought in I8S2. Mr, Johnson's life was inter-isting inter-isting and varied, typical of . Jiose hardy pioneers who helped . ihunge the West from a barren lesert country into a beautiful . ilace. ' His father died of cholera on fie South Platte river. His nothor, Laura. Crandall Johnson, esumed the journey on to the Salt Lake valley without her : lusbaml. Willis was born there .dfihirtly after her arrival, on Oc-.olxr'2, Oc-.olxr'2, 1850. ' Their stay in Salt Lake was ihort. Mrs. Johnson brought her ion to Springville, where she (i r lettled with her brothers and r' listers in the new territory. Five T'ears later she married Richard sj. Jird, and they moved to his lome. i 'J; Young Willis began his edu--'":ation at the age of four years n a small willow school house i,. vhich stood at the rear of the , glomes of Myron N. Crandall and '"tichard Bird. He continued his E ducation until the age of IB. le :- , j:. In the spring of 1868, his L,l tep-father, Richard Bird, was ailed on to furnish one yoke of "Xen and a driver to go to the lorlh Platte river to meet several sev-eral hundred Mormons English nd Danish immigrants. Willis rent along with him. They Bached the river, but the im-pigrants im-pigrants had not yet arrived, nor rid they for sixty days. Such Stfas their physical condition on he return journey, due to hard-"""hips hard-"""hips and scanty provisions, that Villis K. Johnson relates that Very day at least one immigrant led. I Late in the year 1868, Presi-ent Presi-ent Brigham Young called tichard Bird to Nevada on what ras known as the "Muddy Mis-;a Mis-;a -ion," to help settle that terri- 2 .Dry. Willis, who was now eighteen, eigh-teen, and several others, accom-anied accom-anied him. The journey was old and disagreeable, and they rrived there in the dead of wm-,Er. wm-,Er. Here they remained for over jjl 'ear, but because of undesirable undesir-able conditions high taxes, lit-!e lit-!e feed for their animals, and Irude living quarters, they were dvised by the mission head to ibandon the settlement. ' ! After this, Willis tried his and at various trades, clerking, ..Weighting, railroad contracting nd building, and custom work, lUt finally, about the time of lis marriage to Sarah Lovell Jtndenhall on July 6, 1874, he 2etlled down as a farmer, and Continued with that occupation lie rest of his life. I Willis K. Johnson was always tctive in civic affairs. He ser-"ed ser-"ed six years. 1883-1889, as road upervisor. He preceded Arthur I. Southwick as a member of the (.ichool board during the years' j8!lS-1907, and was city council-nan council-nan lor three terms, 1D00-1902, -02-1904. and 1906-1908. ' Sin addition lo his farming and h'ic duties, he was always a taunch member of the Latter-3ay Latter-3ay Saint church, and active in p U affairs. He was a member !f the teacher's quorum and an ..ictive ward teacher for more ljhan 20 years. On December 30, . he was ordained a Seventy, ino later acting as one of the ven presidents of the 51st quor-lm quor-lm of the Seventies for 20 years Intil ordained a high priest m J 808. On November 23, 1924. he vas chosen as second councilor f the high priests' quorum. fll!'; 0n MiU'h 19, 1900. his wife, ,l ' tarah, died. She was the mother H children: Willis K. Jr., jpvard, Minerva, Franklin Mil-ln, Mil-ln, Thursa, Chester, Harry, lichard, Edna, George and -iornh. Three of these, Franklin, "hursa, and Sarah, preceded Mrs. , lohnson in death. The remainder i(lt'f the sons and daughters live iv'n Springville, and with the ex-option ex-option of the two youngest, fSdna and George, have all mar-jtied. mar-jtied. 1 |
