Timothy Granstrom Johnson was born February 1, 1949, in Pelican Rapids, MN, to Eleanor (Granstrom) and Cecil Johnson. He spent his early childhood in Starkweather, ND, where his father was a pastor. The family moved to Pelican Rapids when Tim was in second grade. He graduated from Pelican Rapids High School in 1967 and Concordia College, Moorhead, in 1971.

Music was an important part of Tim’s life, and his musical endeavors were very eclectic. He sang in the Concordia Choir for three years and was the bassist for The Marvelous Mirage, a rock band that played for dances in the tri-state area. While a pastor in Grand Forks, ND, Tim sang bass in the Crooning Collars, a talented quartet of area Lutheran pastors. After retiring to Moorhead, Tim played baritone in the New Horizons Band.

In the fall of 1971, Tim entered Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He spent his internship year in St. Petersburg, FL, and was ordained at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead on August 24, 1975. He began his ministry as an assistant pastor at Zion Lutheran in Ashley, ND. On May 1, 1977, Tim married Susan (Thompson). They spent two years together in Ashley before moving with a newborn son to St. Paul, MN, for graduate study. In May 1980, Tim accepted a call to Zion Lutheran in Cottage Grove, MN. Five years later the family welcomed a baby girl. In 1988, Tim began a ten-year tenure as senior pastor of United Lutheran in Grand Forks, ND, culminating the year after the flood of 1997. He served one more Zion during his 40 years of parish ministry, a large congregation in Anoka, MN. His final call was to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bismarck, ND, with interims at Grace in Des Moines, IA, St John in Dickinson, ND, and Lutheran Church of the Cross in Bismarck.

Tim and Susan retired to their condo in Moorhead during the summer of 2018 and enjoyed the myriad opportunities afforded by proximity to Concordia. When the ravages of Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer’s finally made participation in activities impossible, they continued to welcome and enjoy visits from friends and dear neighbors almost daily until Tim’s death on January 24, 2026.

Tim is survived by his wife Susan, son Andrew Johnson (Alison) of Maple Grove, MN, daughter Anna Wallenkamp (Andrew) of Denver, CO, grandsons Blake Nelson, Theodore and Abram Wallenkamp, sisters Kathryn Benson, Moorhead, and Sita Johnson, Richfield, MN, sister-in-law Cynthia Nelson (James), Minneapolis, and several nieces and nephews.

The family is indebted to four outstanding young women, Ava, Faith, and Mallory —all Cobbers—who made it possible for Susan to care for Tim at home over the last three years and to Brandi, an RN who provided occasional overnight respite for Susan. We are also grateful for the incredible team from Sanford Hospice who shepherded us through the last two weeks of Tim’s life.

A funeral service for Tim will be held 11 a.m. Friday, January 30, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 8th St S, Moorhead, with visitation an hour before at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts to Concordia College and Trinity Lutheran Church. A livestream of the service will be available here on Tim's webpage.