Albin "Jim" Johnson, age 75, of Thief River Falls, MN passed away on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at Sanford Hospital in Thief River Falls, MN surrounded by his loving family. Visitation will be held from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM with a 6:00 PM funeral service on Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN with Msgr. Timothy McGee presiding. Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at Riverside Cemetery in Fargo, ND. Any memorials given in honor of Dad will be forwarded to St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, TN and Lend A Hand Dakota Medical Foundation in Fargo, ND. Albin James Johnson was born August 22, 1940 on the family farm home near Merrill, WI, the son of Frank A. and Erna Eva Ida (Lutzke) Johnson. He attended school at Merrill and graduated from Merrill High School in 1958. Jim furthered his education by attending college at Stevens Point, WI and in 1962 graduated from Mortuary College in San Francisco, CA. In 1965, he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT. Jim worked for funeral homes in Merrill, WI, Miles City, MT, Billings, MT and Great Falls, MT. On August 1, 1964, Jim was united in marriage to Carol Kay Norbo at Medicine Lake, MT and to this union four children were born, Eric, Erling, Kelly and Ellen. The couple lived in Billings, MT while Jim finished college. Then the couple moved to Great Falls, MT for a short period of time before they purchased the funeral homes in Parshall and New Town, ND in 1966. Jim truly understood his calling in life; to help others through the death and grieving process. His service touched thousands of people. In 2002, Jim and Carol sold their funeral homes in North Dakota and moved to St. Hilaire, MN. They continued to be involved with their love of funeral service by assisting their sons at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls and Oklee, MN. Jim loved talking politics, watching FOX News, and visiting with family and friends. His favorite hobbies were shooting his guns, hunting deer, geese, and pheasants. This was a passion he loved to share with his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed raising German Shorthair dogs for his bird hunting. Being raised on a farm in Wisconsin gave Jim a lifetime love of all animals. For many years he had a team of Percherons, Belgian and Clydesdale horses. He found and restored a horse drawn hearse which he and his sons have used on many funerals. Survivors include his loving wife, Carol, St. Hilaire, MN; children: Eric (Kandee) Johnson of Red Lake Falls, MN, Erling (Amy) Johnson of Thief River Falls, MN, Kelly (Todd) Mondry of West Fargo, ND, and Ellen Rummel of West Fargo, ND; grandchildren, Jessie, Emily, Ethan, Jordan, Nolan, Kira, Matthew, Alexa and Zachary; great-granddaughter, Lilly; siblings, David (Gert) Johnson of Wausau, WI and Vera (Estes "Bud") Yinger of Santa Rosa, CA; sisters-in-law, Arlene Johnson and Susan Johnson; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Hilma (Casey) Schmidt, Ann (Vince) Klimek, Earl (Evelyn) Johnson, Frank Johnson and Erling Johnson.