Family
Tim and Barb Johnson's roots run deep in the plains of South Dakota. A fourth-generation South Dakotan, Tim was born in Canton to Van and Ruth Johnson. Tim's grandfather on his father’s side was a farmer and ran a hardware and implement business in Centerville. His grandfather on his mother's side emigrated from Norway as a young man and became a Lutheran minister and served much of his time at the Scandia Lutheran Church in Centerville.
Tim's great-grandfather homesteaded near Centerville and farmed the land there.
His father Van was a high school teacher and football coach. He taught and coached at Centerville, Canton, Flandreau and Vermillion before going on to teach at the University of South Dakota. Ruth Johnson, Tim's mother was a homemaker, helping raise Tim, his brother Tom and sister Julie.
Tim learned early on the value of a good education and the necessity of hard work from the values and ideals his parents instilled in him.
Tim attended primary and secondary schools in Centerville, Canton, Flandreau and Vermillion. During his senior year at Vermillion High School, Tim played football and was named most valuable player. He played linebacker, was captain of the defense and scored fourteen touchdowns that year.
After high school, Tim attended the University of South Dakota (USD), graduating with Phi Beta Kappa academic honors. He went on to earn both a master's degree in political science and a law degree from USD.
During his undergraduate years, Tim met Barbara Brooks of Sioux Falls, whom he married shortly after graduating. Balancing family needs with work pressures is something Tim and Barb came to know well during their early years. After Tim completed his graduate studies at USD, he worked as a budget analyst for the Michigan State Senate Appropriations Committee while Barbara completed her master's degree in social work. It was during this time that their first child, Brooks, was born.
After Barb completed her graduate studies, Tim and Barb moved back to South Dakota. In 1975 their second child, Brendan, was born. In 1981, their third child Kelsey was born.
Tim and Barb still have their home in Vermillion, and in addition to their three adult children have 5 grandchildren. Brooks, was in the 101st Airborne division of the U.S. Army and has served in Bosnia, Kosovo, South Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He currently works full time for the National Guard. In May 2004, Brooks married Naida Snipas Johnson of Massachusetts. They have a son, Arius Timothy Johnson, or Ari for short.
Brendan worked as an assistant prosecutor for Minnehaha County, clerked for U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier in Rapid City and currently practices law in Sioux Falls. He and his wife Jana have four children: Sutton, Trualem, Peneal and Cooper. "Tru" and "Pen" joined the family in August 2007 when they were adopted from Ethiopia.
Kelsey, a 2004 graduate of the University of South Dakota is currently in graduate school at George Washington University and works in policy development for the American Association for Cancer Research.
