Rebecca Marie Johnson

A funeral service for Rebecca M. Johnson of Badger, MN will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 2 P.M. at Helgeson Funeral Home in Roseau, MN.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Rebecca (Becky) Olson was born on February 17, 1948, to Otto William and Katherine Eldrid (Anderson) Olson. She joined her two brothers, Roy Douglas and Clayton Matthew (“Punky”), while living above the family store, Otto’s Auto Parts.

Becky graduated from Badger High School in 1966. Before returning to Badger in 1994, she studied and worked throughout the United States and Europe. Her studies included Interstate Business College in Fargo, North Dakota, and Florian Beauty School in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Becky’s spirit of adventure led her to Houston, Texas; then Gary, Indiana; Tustin, California; Costa Mesa, California; Amsterdam, Holland; Denver, Colorado; Rochester, New York; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Birmingham, Alabama.

She worked in positions such as Continental Party Sales (Tupperware Distribution Office) and Target Stores in Houston, Texas; Hindale Savings and Loan Bank in Hindale, Illinois; and Bank of the West in Costa Mesa, California. Of note was her time with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Advance Team in California, Holland, New York, and Colorado, where she worked with and trained volunteers.

In January 1990, she became the owner of Quilts Unlimited in Cahaba Heights, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham. Becky had always loved handwork, learning to knit and sew from her mother and grandmother as a young girl, so this was a natural fit.

While home in Badger for an all-school reunion, she reconnected with Curtis Johnson. On April 5, 1994, Becky and Curtis were married, and she moved to his home farm in Nereson Township. While living in Badger, Becky enjoyed several employment opportunities in the area. Upon retirement, she began to focus on what she loved most—working in her craft room.

When Becky’s mother, Kay, passed away in 2002, Becky became interested in genealogy and was not afraid to explore family connections throughout the United States, Norway, Sweden, and Canada.

In 2009, Becky and Curtis began spending winters in Mesa, Arizona. Whether in Arizona or time at home, she continued her love for genealogy, quilting, knitting, card-making, and photography. Most recently, she was a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator. Her card classes in her home were well attended, not only for her creative inspiration but also for the fellowship and hospitality she provided.

Becky is survived by her husband, Curtis Johnson; her brother, Clayton “Punky” Olson; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews, whom she loved deeply and showered with handmade gifts of quilts, knit hats, socks, and mittens.

Becky was preceded in death by her parents, Otto and Katherine Olson, and her brother, Roy Douglas Olson.

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