Henry M. Johnson was born on October 5, 1903, to Ole and Beret Johnson on a farm near Baltic, South Dakota. He was baptized at Old Nidaros Lutheran Church, where he remained a lifelong member. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hunting and fishing throughout his life. On March 14, 1931, he married Inez Erickson at East Nidaros Lutheran Church. The couple lived and farmed on Henry’s family homestead until retiring and moving into the town of Baltic in 1987. They had four sons: Odel, Ivan, Dean, and Jerome. Henry passed away on June 4, 1993, at the Dell Rapids Community Hospital.

Inez O. Erickson Johnson was born on October 31, 1911, in Lake County, South Dakota, to Martin and Julia Erickson. At age eight, she moved with her family to a farm near Baltic. She attended rural school and Baltic Grade School. Inez was baptized at St. Peter Lutheran Church and confirmed at East Nidaros Lutheran Church. She married Henry Johnson on March 14, 1931, and they farmed together until their retirement in 1987. Inez became a resident of Terrace Manor Nursing Home in Dell Rapids on April 28, 1995, and died on May 19, 1995, at Dell Rapids Community Hospital.