Norbert Eugene Johnson passed away in Missoula on April 8, 2025, at the age of 93.
The first of two children, Norbert “Nobby” was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, to Tostin and Vida (Kingsbury) Johnson on April 28, 1931. He spent all his youth in Philip, SD, a place he dearly loved because it fostered the essential foundations of his life: hard work, service, and recreation. Starting young, Nobby raised chickens and chinchillas, worked at his grandfather’s hardware store and parents’ Midway Cafe, set pins at the bowling alley, sorted mail at the post office, and earned college money on farms and ranches and at the local Ford dealership. In his junior year of high school, his Philip Scotties football team was undefeated, unscored upon, and untied, completing a perfect season. At 17, he earned a private pilot’s license and thoroughly enjoyed barnstorming all over South Dakota and surrounding states. Other Philip area fun included: hunting, fishing, swimming, and ice skating. He graduated from the University of South Dakota where he majored in biology and later earned a master’s degree in education. He then served two years in the Army in San Antonio, TX and Munich, Germany. While in Germany, Nobby learned how to ski in the Bavarian Alps at Garmisch Partenkirchen, and he was an enthusiastic skier until he was 80.
After his Army service, he started a career in education in Rapid City, where he taught biology. He met his future wife Betty Hipsher at a diabetic summer camp, where he was camp manager, and she was camp nurse. They married in the fall of 1958 and moved to Great Falls, where they spent the next 64 years working, raising their sons, Todd and Ross, volunteering, enjoying friends, and experiencing retirement, until moving to Missoula to be near Todd and daughter-in-law Katie.
Nobby worked for the Great Falls Public Schools district for 37 years, starting as a biology teacher at Great Falls High School. During the summers, he conducted tours at the Great Falls Brewery and worked at the greyhound dog track. In 1962, he received a Fullbright Teacher Exchange to Edenborough, Scotland, but he accepted the assistant principal job instead, so he and Betty could start a family at home. While at GFHS, Nobby started every morning at 4:30 jogging on the 3 rd floor terrazzo and often ended long days cheering on the Bison. In the last 15 years of his career, he supervised district buildings and grounds, where he proudly oversaw the retrofitting of district buildings, making them safer and generating savings through energy conservation. The most rewarding aspects of his district work were helping students and staff succeed and building lasting relationships with colleagues and students, some that lasted the rest of his life.
A 65-year member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Nobby served on the church council, as president of the council, as a Sunday School teacher, bus driver, deliverer of recordings for shut-ins, and on several committees. Over the years, Nobby’s additional service included: the YMCA, the Northcentral Montana Council of the Boys Scouts, Kings Hill Ski School, Showdown Ski Patrol, Lions Club, Crime Stoppers, the Board of the Devonshire Homeowners Association, and the Benefis Hospital Foundation.
Together with Betty, Nobby enjoyed many years of singing in church choir, dancing at Fortnightly, playing bridge, attending symphony and choral performances, participating in a gourmet club, hosting dinners and parties, going on ski trips, meeting new friends, being an advocate in PFLAG (after Ross’s death from AIDS), and traveling.
Nobby saved his best, most loving and generous self for his family. He was a very proud dad, often the loudest clapper and cheerleader from the sidelines, stands, auditorium seats, shorelines, and chairlifts. He absolutely loved filling up his old Suburban with Betty and his boys and their friends, heading to ski at Showdown, to a swim meet, or to the lake. He built a cabin at Lake Five, where the family savored years of outdoor activities, especially sailing, waterskiing, and many card and board games. Sailing on Lake Five led to two memorable week-long trips to sail in Puget Sound. Johnson and Hipsher family reunions, and entertaining family and friends during the holidays were a big part of Nobby’s life. Other good family times were filled with Guppies swim meets, Bison sports, and occasional travels to see the Bobcats and Grizzlies compete. In later years, they had much fun in Bigfork and retirement travels with Betty, Todd, and Katie, and lifelong friends, the Smiths and the Lorangs. Ever the teacher, Nobby gave many roadside and trailside biology lectures on, among other things, wheat, moss, and Western Larch, focusing on their resilience, adaptability, generosity, and diversity, the same human strengths he wanted Todd and Ross to learn and embrace.
A life-long whistler, finger snapper, and optimist, who frequently exuded positivity, love, and gratitude, Nobby also loved black licorice, maple nut ice cream, western art, Nat King Cole, and, most recently, Cheetos. “Know you’re loved” was a favorite saying of his.
He was preceded in death by his wife Betty, their son Ross, his parents, and his sister Marcia.
Nobby is survived by son Todd, daughter-in-law Katie, grand-dog Gus, nephew Mark Harris, niece Kathi Harris Moser, many Johnson and Kingsbury cousins, brothers-in-law Jim Hipsher (Sarah), John Hipsher (Lee), and Woody Hipsher, sister-in-law Mary Ringer (Fred), and many for whom he was Uncle Nobby.
This past year, Nobby received tremendous care from Edgewood Missoula and Big Sky Hospice, and the family is very grateful.
A celebration of Nobby’s life will take place at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Great Falls on May 31 st at 11am.
Memorials may be given to the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation.
Author: Staff
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