Jennie Johnson

Jennie Johnson of Shelley, Idaho, passed away peacefully after 92 years filled with love, laughter, service, and more adventures than most people squeeze into a lifetime.

She was born on February 17, 1934, in Goshen, Idaho, the 11th of 13 children born to David and Esther Louise McGary. After graduating high school in 1952, she dove straight into nurse’s training, becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse at the Sacred Hearts Hospital in 1953. Her sense of duty and adventure even took her into the Navy, where she trained as a Registered Nurse until life handed her a new adventure in motherhood.

She held many different jobs throughout her life but her main love was caring for others through her nursing, and she enjoyed her volunteer work with the Shelley Quick Response Unit as an Emergency Medical Tech for over 10 years. In her later years she spent many volunteer hours at the Shelley Senior Center taking blood pressure, treating cuts and scrapes, and cooking nourishing meals.

On January 19, 1968, Jennie married Glen Johnson in Elko, Nevada and together they shared many years of travel, laughter, and adventure until Glen’s passing in 2005.

She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as secretary of the Relief Society, visiting teacher, captain and county officer of Daughters of Utah Pioneer, and spent eight years s in the library.

When she wasn’t caring for others, Jennie could be found sewing, puzzling, reading, crafting, brewing her own wine, or spending time with family and friends, but her true trademark was crochet. Her crocheted creations were legendary among family and friends and almost everyone who met her has been gifted with one of her special creations that was stitched with love in every loop.

Jennie will be remembered for her kindness, her humor, her service, and the countless lives she touched with compassion in her heart and yarn in her hands.

She is survived by her sons Kelley (Chris) Neff of Pocatello, Randy Neff of Boise, Lisa (Ed) Jones of Pocatello, Earl (Leslie) Johnson of Idaho Falls; daughter Dalene Skalicky of Billings, MT; and one brother Alvin McGary of Salt Lake, UT; 15 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren who all brought her immense joy.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, two sisters, nine brothers, and three grandsons.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, 2026 at the Shelley East Stake Center, 325 East Locust Street. The family will receive friends Sunday evening from 6:00 till 7:30 p.m. at Nalder Funeral Home, 110 W Oak Street in Shelley and Monday morning from 10:00 a.m. till 10:45 a.m. at the church. Burial will be in the Shelley Hillcrest Cemetery with Military Rites.

Those who would like to participate in the funeral service remotely are invited to view the service on a live broadcast at the following link:

https://shelleyeaststake.org/wards/9th/

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