Remembering Orvil J. Johnson

As the first person to hold the position of city administrator in Mendota Heights, it was up to Orvil J. Johnson to develop a blueprint for the job at a time of tremendous city growth.

Johnson served under the late Donald Huber, who was mayor of Mendota Heights from 1961 to 1976.

"Orvil had to create a position that didn't exist while gaining the support of the City Council and the staff as he began to run the day-to-day operations of the city," said former mayor John Huber, son of Donald. "He had the skills to make that work and he did it wonderfully."

Johnson passed away on Jan. 19 at the age of 88. Funeral services were held at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in West St. Paul, where he had formerly served as a finance member. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Johnson was given a military burial at Fort Snelling.

Born in Onida, S.D., Johnson served as the first city manager of Granite Falls in 1952. He held similar jobs in North St. Paul and West St. Paul before coming to Mendota Heights.

"My dad was elected in 1961 and it was about midway through his term in office that Orvil was hired as city administrator," recalled Huber. "There was so much going on during that time. (Interstate) 35E was preparing to go through the city and development was really opening up. My dad reached a point where he needed help to manage everything that was happening and Orvil did a fabulous job."

Apart from working well together on behalf of the Mendota Heights community, Johnson and Donald Huber, who passed away several years ago, were good friends and often socialized together with their wives, according to John Huber.

"Orvil was a very warm person and well thought of in this community," he said. "I saw him often over the years and we would always talk."

Johnson retired from his position with the city of Mendota Heights in 1984. According to his daughter Debra Johnson, her father "never really retired—he just stopped getting a paycheck for his labor."

A consummate volunteer, Orvil Johnson drove for Neighbors, Inc., delivered Meals on Wheels and was very involved at the Science Museum of Minnesota where he logged over 5,700 hours in the Museum's Prototype shop over the course of 27  years. He was named Volunteer of the Year for the Science Museum in 1990 and finally retired from "the shop" in 2008.

Johnson and his wife Arlene, whom he met in Rapid City and married in New York City prior to his serving a tour of duty in World War II, were members of Minne-Wheelers, a Minnesota camping club, and traveled in their RV to a favorite winter spot in La Feria, TX.

"My parents took a few trips to Europe and Sweden. Dad was interested in his relatives in the old country," said Debra. "Thankfully, my mother speaks Swedish or he would never have been able to talk to them."

Travels to visit children and great-grandchildren on both coasts kept the Johnsons busy and also led her father to become what Debra referred to as "internet-savvy" so he could keep in touch with family. In fact, Debra, who lives on the West Coast, and her father frequently communicated online and actually wrote his obituary notice together.

In addition to Debra and Arlene, his wife of 66 years, Johnson is survived by a brother, two daughters and a son, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.