Dorothy Johnson

Dorothy Johnson (Imbeau). 94 years young. Nov. 23, 1926-July 31, 2021. Dottie, The Bluebird Lady, born in Edam, SK, passed away peacefully in Nanaimo, BC, held by loving family members. The eldest of 11 children of Joseph Imbeau and Marie Regnier, living on a farm, Dottie was the responsible older sister who survived the Great Depression of 1930s and when her dad needed a son to help with farm chores, Dottie also became his right hand 'man'. Dorothy married Clarence Letourneau in 1943 and they leased farm land in the North Battleford area for 5 years. In the late 40s, with the three youngest boys in tow, they moved to Red Deer, AB where Clarence operated his business Letourneau Building Movers. They built a garage on a city lot where they lived for two years before constructing a house on the site.

Divorced in the early 70s, Dottie married Delburne, AB farmer Duane Johnson (16 years her elder) in 1978, living on the Johnson family farm, a farm girl home again, with her best buddy toy poodle Randy. Dottie won many prizes in the local photography club, curled competitively in the men's league, square-danced with friends several times a week and constructed more than 100 bluebird boxes on the farm, which she tended caringly. With Duane's passing in 1992, Dottie sold the original Letourneau family home in North Red Deer and purchased the 'pink house' in West Park where she lived happily, camping across western Canada and the US with friends in her camper van and tooling around in her garage, clad in her tool belt, with a farm girl's Depression-era 'fix anything, nothing goes to waste' sensibility.

In 2013, Dottie relocated to Nanaimo, BC (known as DJ in Wexford Village Senior's Home) on Vancouver Island to be nearer most of her children and grandchildren. Dottie was the grand 'belle of the ball' on frequent family gatherings, surrounded by laughter, love and a gaggle of kids of all ages, her comfort zone. Survived by Albert Letourneau (1944), Karl Letourneau (1951), Lorraine Bethell (1953), Darrell Letourneau (1958), Kevin Letourneau (1962) and adopted children Lew Ganske (1950) and Jocelyn Halvorsen (1953) as well as 21 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. Preceded by John Letourneau (1946-1997), Ken Letourneau (1949-2010) and Paul Letourneau (1948-2011).

2021 autumn memorials TBA in Nanaimo, BC and Red Deer, AB.