Sen. Tim Johnson remembered as icon of politics, dedicated family man at service attended by hundreds

Former Sen. Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin among those who spoke of senator's wit, tenacity and sense of duty

Hundreds of people remembered a titan of South Dakota politics Friday at a funeral service that reunited a generation of Democratic Party politicians and activists who said goodbye to former Sen. Tim Johnson.

“We gather to celebrate a remarkable man – a husband, a father, a grandfather, an extraordinary public servant, and a friend,” said former Sen. Tom Daschle, the Democratic Senate leader who served with Johnson in Congress for 18 years.

Johnson, 77, died Oct. 8 from complications of a stroke. His life was also celebrated by Republican leaders, with Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds attending, joined by Gov. Kristi Noem and former Sen. Larry Pressler.

The three-term senator served South Dakota in the U.S. Senate from 1997 to 2014. Prior to that he had been the state’s representative to the U.S. House for 10 years, which he ascended to from the state Legislature, where he won his first race in 1978.

During his long, 36-year run in politics, he never lost an election, and his tenure in office came at a time when Democrats dominated federal politics in South Dakota.

But first and foremost, Johnson was remembered as a dedicated father and husband whose commitment to his family never took a back seat to a career that saw him reach the highest levels of U.S. politics.

His sons, Brooks and Brendan, remembered him as a man who would walk them to school on his way to his Vermillion law office and be at every sporting and school event.

“We would look into the bleachers, and there he was,” Brooks said.

There were three things Johnson never missed, Brendan said: Sporting events, family dinner each night prepared by their mother, Barb, and church every Sunday. Their father had a strong deterrent for the boys and their sister, Kelsey, to not miss church.

“He had a rule: If you were too sick for church, you were too sick for TV,” Brendan said.

Johnson’s wit, sense of humor and his lack of acumen as a cook were also remembered, with the somber morning repeatedly broken by stories that left the hundreds gathered at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church laughing. Pastor Lori Hope, who delivered the sermon, said that Johnson’s method of making a grilled cheese sandwich was to put a slice of cheese between two pieces of bread and microwaving the concoction.

Johnson’s career – and life – almost came to an abrupt end in December 2006, when, during a press briefing, he suffered a severe brain bleed caused by a genetic condition. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors performed hours of surgery. His fate over the next few weeks was uncertain.

Once he survived the event, Johnson was determined to return to his duties in the Senate. But the brain bleed had damaged his verbal skills and left him partially paralyzed on the right side of his body. With Barb at his side, Johnson set out to put in months of grueling physical therapy.

Former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who served with Johnson for seven years and worked as an intern in his office before that, said Johnson approached his recovery like he did every challenge. He confronted the problem head on and worked hard to overcome it. He re-emerged in public life in September 2007.

“We applauded his resilience,” Herseth Sandlin said.

Johnson displayed “unwavering tenacity” to overcome “nightmarish personal challenges” that Daschle said would have “broken me and many of us.”

Johnson resumed his duties in the Senate. With the assistance of a scooter, he was able to navigate the halls of the Capitol and Senate offices.

He won a third and final term in office in 2008, a 6-year stint that saw him take the helm as chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. He chose to retire ahead of the 2014 election, leaving office in 2015 as the last Democrat in statewide office.

His legacy will live on for generations, supporters say, for his role in securing funding for important projects around the state, including rural water and other projects that were critical for communities across South Dakota. Ira Taken Alive, a former Johnson staffer and a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said Johnson was “beloved” in Indian Country, so much so that he was given the Lakota name Wacante Ognake, which means in English, “Holds the People in His Heart.”

It was likely, Taken Alive said, that “Tim had more star quilts than any other person.”

Johnson is survived by Barb and their children, as well as eight grandchildren. A private internment was scheduled at Woodlawn Cemetery in Sioux Falls.

Memorial donations may be made in Johnson’s honor to the Promising Futures Fund, 834 S. Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57104 or www.promisingfuturesfund.org and Feeding South Dakota, 4701 N. Westport Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57107.