Gilbert J. Johnson (Gib), age 85, of Clintonville, passed away peacefully on June 6, 2016 at home while surrounded by the family he loved so much.
Gib was born on February 3, 1931 in Oshkosh as the youngest of three boys to Anna (Hansen) and John Johnson. He was very proud of his 100% Danish heritage. He graduated from Oshkosh High School in 1949 and shortly afterward enlisted in the Marine Corps. Gib served during the Korean War and rose to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. Gib served in the active military and the reserves for seven years. After his active service he attended UW-Oshkosh where he met the love of his life, Janice M. Furrer. Gib and Jan were united in marriage on June 30, 1956. After graduating, Gib and Jan found jobs as teachers with the Clintonville school district. Gib taught 9th grade algebra for 34 years. He was a memorable and remarkable teacher for many students. More than a few of his students will recall some of their mistakes as “Tube Shots” or “Number Burgers,” and if the points on your graphs were a little too big to suit the former Marine, they would have been flagged as “Cow Pies.” Gib was a teacher that had a lot of fun with his students, but make no mistake, his classes weren’t a place to horse around, rumor has it there were a few dented lockers near his classrooms. Gib also owned and operated Johnson’s Lawn Service for many years where he marketed himself as the “Dandelion Assassinator.” In his post retirement years, Gib served as a Clintonville Alderman and eventually as Mayor of Clintonville for eight years from 1989 to 1998. Along with this community service, Gib was also a member of the Clintonville American Legion Post #63 where he served two terms as Commander. Gib was a faithful member of Christus Lutheran Church where he has worshiped for nearly 60 years. Gib enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, and instilling his love of the outdoors with his entire family. He also enjoyed handing out gold dollars which he called “friendship coins”. He was a very loving and devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather, rarely missing a family event. He could be easily distinguished from the crowd by his booming voice exclaiming, “Fire in the hole!” or “Roll ‘em, roll ‘em, roll ‘em!” Gib will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his entire family and many friends.
Survivors include: his wife, Jan; daughter, Jill (Randy) Bricco and their daughter Mariah (Adam) Pringnitz and great-grandchildren, Brock and Dannica Pringnitz; son, Jeff (Mary Jo) Johnson and their children Elisha (Alex) Tapplin and great-grandchildren, Greta and Anna Tapplin; Zach (Ashley) Johnson and great-grandchildren, Maci and Ryker Johnson; Aubrey Jo and fiancé, Sean DeVos; son, Mike (Cindy) Johnson and their children Jared and Jace; daughter, Amy (Brian) Perry and their daughters,Brianna and fiancé Ben Emanuel and Alexis. Gib was preceded in death by his father John, mother Anna, and brothers, Glenn and Stanley.
A celebration of Gib’s life will be held Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Christus Lutheran Church in Clintonville with Rev. Brian Crocker officiating. Interment will follow at the Graceland Cemetery in Clintonville with full military honors conducted by the members of the Clintonville American Legion Post #63, VFW Post #664, and American Legion Auxiliary Unit #63. Friends may call at the church on Saturday from 9 a.m. until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Christus Lutheran Church roof replacement fund. The Eberhardt-Stevenson Funeral Home & Crematory of Clintonville is assisting his family. www.eberhardtstevenson.com