Johnson

LA GRANDE — A tragic end did not define a local farmer’s impact on those around him.

Dale Johnson of La Grande died on Friday, Oct. 1, due to an ill-fated farming accident in Imbler. The 58-year-old is remembered by those who knew him as a family man with a strong work ethic and a positive outlook toward those he encountered in life.

“A lot of people cared for my dad, as did I,” said Daniel Johnson, one of Dale Johnson’s three children who spoke on behalf of the Johnson family.

Daniel Johnson, a deputy with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, noted that his father’s impact far outmeasured his 5-foot-8-inch, 135-pound stature. While Daniel Johnson and his brother, Eric, are much larger in physical composure than their father, the weight of his influence on their lives was tremendous.

“I’ve always been proud to call him my father,” Daniel Johnson said. “He was proud of his children and proud of his grandchildren. He was just a wonderful man.”

Dale Johnson was a farmer for nearly the entirety of his life, growing up in the business and carrying that passion into his final days. Born in Colorado, he moved to the area in his childhood and attended Island City Elementary School, La Grande Middle School and La Grande High School. He worked for Bingaman Farms in Imbler for roughly the past 16 years.

“It was a tragic accident that you wouldn’t wish on anybody,” his son Daniel said. “He has always been a hard worker and a devoted farmer.”

Daniel Johnson noted that farming is not always the most lucrative business, but that the Johnson family felt rich nonetheless.

“He considered himself very wealthy,” he said. “He was rich because of what we had in family.”

The night before the accident, the majority of the Johnson family gathered by chance at the Union High School football game to watch Dale Johnson’s grandson compete on the field. The game was originally set for Oct. 2, but was moved back. Daniel Johnson considered that move fate, as it provided a perfect last memory of his father.

“Our family will be able to remember him as we’ve always remembered him,” he said.

Daniel Johnson expressed that his father’s approach to life and the pride he took in being a good father will live on well past his lifetime.

“He is my role model in how I try to be a father myself,” he said. “He’s the dad I always wanted to be.”

Dale Johnson had a very close relationship with his three kids and four grandchildren, a quality that his family always appreciated. He leaves behind a wife of 38 years, Robin Johnson, whom he met when they were both just 16 years old.

“I can’t think of a bad memory of him, I honestly can’t,” Daniel Johnson said.

A funeral service is planned for Saturday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m. at Gilbert Hall on the campus of Eastern Oregon University in La Grande.