Jodell M. Johnson

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Jodell Marie Johnson was born on April 9th, 1969, in Grand Forks, ND, the daughter of Marie and Harlen W. Anderson. She grew up in Alvarado, Mn. and graduated from Alvarado High School in 1987. She attended the University of North Dakota graduating with a BA in Speech Pathology in 1991. She then enrolled at Minot State and earned a BA as a Teacher of the Deaf and a BA in Elementary Education in 1995. She obtained a Master’s of Science/Reading from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2001.

She was employed as a teacher in the Rochester, Mn School District in 1995 before moving to Fargo in 1996. After arrival in Fargo, she was a substitute teacher in area schools before landing a position as a Teacher of the Deaf in the Fargo School District in 1997 and later taught Title Math.

On April 26, 1997, she was married to Ruel C. Johnson at the First Assembly Church (now Northview) in Fargo a week after the peak of the flood of '97. Pastor Dan Rothwell used a boat to get from his home to the church for their wedding ceremony. She was a member of Northview the remainder of her life. The couple bounced between Fargo and Moorhead before selecting a home in Moorhead in 2005 to start a family.

Jodell was a devoted wife and a loving mother whose life was a testament to her faith and unconditional love. Her marriage was rooted in a deep love and shared trust in God. She filled her home with laughter and prayer. As a mother, she poured herself into raising her daughters Ellika and Annika.Her love for her family ran deep in word and action. She had a quiet strength and deep resolve to care for others.

She was Ruel’s greatest encourager and Ellika and Annika’s greatest protector. Her faith guided her as she taught her children to love the Lord, to walk in joy, and to persevere through life’s trials with grace. The values she instilled and lived will continue to impact and shape generations to come.

Jodell left her legacy as a dedicated wife, a loving mother, and a caring teacher whose life reflected the heart of Christ in her day-to-day life. On Labor Day 2010, Jodell suffered a devastating Pontine stroke that left her with Locked in Syndrome, fully paralyzed, and permanently disabled.

She faced her lengthy medical battles with fierce determination, extraordinary strength, grace, and unwavering faith. Even in the midst of her pain and suffering, she fought to watch her daughters grow into godly young women as she offered up prayers for her family, trusting in God’s goodness through it all. Her courage was quiet but deeply powerful, reflecting the deep trust and faith she carried in her heart and instilled to her family.

Though her body grew weak, her spirit never faltered. She continued to love her family fiercely, to lift others in prayer, and to live out her faith with humility and hope. Her resilience inspired all who knew her, and her life became a beautiful testimony to the words of 2 Timothy 4:7 — “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Jodell was a unique example of what it looks like to deeply love family. She was a devoted mother, wife, daughter, sister, and aunt.

Jodell passed away Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in her home, at the age of 56.

She is survived by her husband, Ruel Johnson; daughters Ellika Johnson and Annika Johnson, Moorhead; brother, Joel (Amy) Anderson, Alvarado, MN; aunt, Carol Sylvander, Moorhead; cousins, Ransel (Dawn) Anderson, Rhonda (David) Thompson, and Rochelle Anderson; Steven Sylvander, New Brighton, MN, Bruce (Elizabeth) Sylvander, Dilworth, MN, and Kent Sylvander, Moorhead; and nephews, Jacob & Justin Anderson, Grand Forks, ND, & Noah, Wylie, and Tice Mursu, Big Stone, SD.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Harlen and Marie Anderson; sister, Jolayne Anderson; uncles, Leland Anderson and Dale Sylvander; and aunts, Delores Anderson, and Bernice Anderson.

A Visitation for Jodell will begin at 10:00 AM, Saturday, May 17, 2025, followed by her Funeral Service beginning at 11:00 AM, in Northview Church, Fargo, ND. She will be laid to rest in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Moorhead, MN.

(Korsmo Funeral and Cremation Service., Moorhead, MN)