Earl Thomas Johnson

HEYBURN – Earl Thomas Johnson, age 87, of Heyburn, died Sunday, November 26, 2023, at Parke View Rehabilitation and Care Center, in Burley.

Earl was born June 21, 1936, in Pella (Burley), Idaho, the second son born to Walter Caswell and Mary Southern Johnson. He grew up hunting and fishing and helping on the farm with his five siblings, Walt, Lynn, Donna, Della, and Patricia.

The family moved to the View area and Earl attended and graduated from Burley High School. He continued his education at ISU, studying diesel mechanics. Earl was a hard worker from an early age and held several jobs including herding sheep for Bob Bronson, helping on the Burgess farm driving semi trucks, and cutting posts and poles for the family business.

Earl met Betty Wright at a stake dance and they were married October 25, 1957. Betty and Earl lived in several homes in the Burley area and were joined by their daughter, Deborah, and son, Dennis. After moving to Heyburn, Diane joined the family.

Earl was one of the first drivers to be employed by Handy Truck Line, where he was employed for more than 50 years. Earl joked that he was the only one to be fired by Leo, Dorothy and Don and be rehired within 24 hours. Earl received awards for his driving record over the years.

Earl and Betty loved the outdoors, traveling to Alaska, Yellowstone, Canada, and many other places. Fishing and hunting were enjoyed from an early age and Earl volunteered with the Idaho Fish and Game. He helped teach children learn how to fish and hunt safely, helped locate deer and count and collar them in the winter, helped count grouse, planted food plots and participated in many other related activities. He enjoyed the people he met and the things he learned and was able to teach the next generation of hunters and fisherman.

Earl was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; his parents, Walter and Mary; mother-and-father-in-law, Raymond and Mary Wright; his older brother, Benjamin (Eileen) Johnson; sister, Patricia Free; brother-in-law, Gene (Etta) Wright; nephew, Brent Johnson; and niece, Teresa Nielson.

He is survived by his children, Debbie Severe of Heyburn; Dennis (Shelly) Johnson of Heyburn, and Diane (Mark) Baker of Malta; five grandchildren, Jeremy (Brooke) Baker of Malta, Chantel Ames of Pinedale, Wyoming, Paden Baker of Pinedale, Wyoming, Marka Baker of Burley, and Madison Johnson of Heyburn; nine great-grandchildren, Tristen, Jack, Guthry, Paiyzli, Preszily, Sawyer, Oaklee, Swae James, and Adalade; his brothers and sisters, Lynn (Pat) Johnson of Heyburn, Donna (Jay) Smith of Burley, and Della (Francisco) Ortiz of Rupert; brother-in-law, Darrell Free of Burley; sisters-in-law, Naomi (Lanny) Ames of Kimberly, Donna (Lawrence) Burch of Burley, Marie (Craig) Nielson of Fairbanks, Alaska; brother-in-law, Ed (Kathy) Wright of Hyrum, Utah; and many nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 9, at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, located at 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, where family and friends will be received from 5 until 7 p.m. Friday, December 8, and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. prior to the service on Saturday. Burial will be at View Cemetery at a later date.

A live webcast of the Funeral Service will be available and maintained at the following link: https://youtu.be/swTFgOKDUwY.