Audrey Evangeline Johnson

Audrey Evangeline Strom was born on February 12, 1923, on a farmstead near Wausa, Nebraska, the youngest child of Frank G. and Edith V. Johnson. She attended country schools in Knox County with her two older sisters and older brother, and graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1941. After graduation, she worked for the Superintendent of Bloomfield Public Schools. When her family moved to Wausa, she worked as a grocery clerk for several stores and for an insurance lawyer in Wausa.

In 1943, she married Harold Strom on June 25 in San Antonio, Texas. Together they raised four children: Patricia, Merlin, Dave, and Deanna. After Harold returned from service, the couple began their married life in Omaha, Nebraska, where they took up farming. Harold’s work with the Williams Brothers Pipeline later led them to West Fargo, North Dakota, and they lived near Sabin, Minnesota, for two years before purchasing a farm near Rollag in 1955. They lived and farmed there for more than 40 years. Following Harold’s death in 1996, Audrey moved to Leonhardt Manor in Barnesville, where she resided for 20 years before spending her final three years at ValleyCare and Rehab in Barnesville.

Audrey was known as a hard worker who was never afraid of demanding tasks. She took an active role in the Rollag Lutheran Church, holding several offices and participating in the ladies circles. She served as one of the first adult leaders for the Tansem Tigers 4-H Club and was a member of the Rollag Homemakers group, the American Legion Auxiliary, and a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary. She found joy in cooking, canning, gardening, visiting with friends and relatives, and taking trips and fishing with Harold. She also enjoyed dancing, playing cards, and bingo. Above all, her greatest happiness came from spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Even after macular degeneration limited her vision in later years, she maintained her enthusiasm for life.

Audrey Strom, age 103, of Barnesville, Minnesota, passed away on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at ValleyCare and Rehab in Barnesville. She is survived by her four children, Patricia (Jim) Paulson of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, Merlin (Pat) Strom of Barnesville, Minnesota, Dave (Mary) Strom of Dent, Minnesota, and Deanna (Kent) Shackelford of Harwood, North Dakota; eight grandchildren, Rebecca, Jamie, Mike, Sandy, Melanie, Judy, Tara, and Dillon; 16 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and a sister-in-law, Alice Strom of Bloomfield, Nebraska. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold; her parents, Frank and Edith Johnson; and three siblings, Gladys Johnson, Roswell Johnson, and Judith Strom.