James "JJ" Howard Johnson

A gathering of family and friends will be held from noon – 2:00 p.m. Saturday, September 7, 2024 at the Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Aurora.

James Howard Johnson, 74, of Hoyt Lakes passed away on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 where he loved to be most at Clear Lake, near Ely.JJ was born on June 27, 1950 to Howard and Dorothy (Hauck) Johnson in Park Rapids, MN. He graduated from the Aurora-Hoyt Lakes High School and furthered his education in the Twin Cities where he earned a degree in heating and cooling and also studied culinary arts. JJ worked as a contractor at Erie Mining for a while before moving back to the Twin Cities. He owned and operated JJ’s Refrigeration in St. Paul. Later, JJ returned to Hoyt Lakes and worked for People’s Natural Gas until his retirement. JJ enjoyed motorcycling, snowmobiling, fishing, and tinkering on old vehicles in his garage. He was a member of the Ranger Snowmobile Club where he took pride in maintaining the trails.

 Survivors include the love of his life, Donna Hubbard of Hoyt Lakes; daughter, Andrea (Bob) Radniecki of Dorset, MN; grandson, Josh; siblings: Thomas (Jeannene) Johnson of Nevis, MN, Sue (Tim) Fisher of Dorset, MN and Patti Selbitschka of Park Rapids, MN; nieces and nephews: Brett, Jack, Andrew, Michael, Rhonda and Mason; as well as numerous grand nieces and nephews.

 He was preceded in death by his sister, Kate Johnson and his parents.