Shirley Johnson

August 23d, 1930, Shirley Salmi was born in a logging camp near Jewell, Oregon to Roy and Sivian “Siv” (Saranpaa) Salmi. Her father had worked the woods since age 15 as whistle punk then the steam donkey, trains and  log trucks.  Their first home was in Seaside, where Shirley started first grade.

The Salmi family purchased a dairy farm in Brownsmead where she lived on the banks of Blind Slough at a time when a small family could survive off 25 cows, several chickens and a few pigs. She shared in the daily chores of the farm. Finnish was commonly spoken. A draft horse was the farm ‘tractor’.

She attended Brownsmead grade school and graduated from Knappa High School.  Activity centered around the Lutheran Church and Brownsmead Grange, with rummage sales, corn feeds and community dances with local folk as musicians.  There was little money, few telephones and television did not exist. The country was struggling out of the depression and war was looming. She is our families last survivor from The Greatest Generation.  While not perfect, they were self-reliant, hardworking and fun loving and unaware these were ‘hard times’.

A Knappa farm boy, who had just returned from the U.S. Navy had her interest. Eventually he stole her heart and never broke it.  She and Elmer Johnson were married in 1951 and lived in his grand-parents former house on the Knappa farm.  They bought a ‘modern home’ in Burnside around 1955. Shirley worked in retail shops and was a part-time mail person in a new concept where mail was actually delivered to the home. 

 They wanted children but that was not meant to be.  Instead, they took in children in desperate need of a loving home.  A foster son, Scott, came first, followed by little Beverly, who returned to her parents eventually and was not heard from again.  The adoptions of Dwayne and Karlyn soothed that heartbreak.   The family returned to the Knappa farm in 1966 rebuilding the old home and logging the property.  They raised large gardens, canned fish and vegetables, raised a small herd of cattle, and harvested salmon, sturgeon, razor clams and berries.  The table was never empty and her Swedish egg-cakes, goulash and marionberry pie were legendary.

Mom hosted family and friend gatherings included Christmas bashes, Tom & Jerry parties, fishing trips, barbeques, harvesting Moclips clams, oyster and crawfish feeds, laksloota with dumplings and the dreaded lutefisk. Her mother was one of her best friends and her parents were often travelling companions.

They avidly followed the children and our little school through sports and plays. Graduations and dad’s retirement opened them up to travel to Reno, Alaska and Hawaii.  She later became caregiver for Grandma Siv and her brother-in-law, Clifford. 

The farm eventually became too much and the folks moved to a small house in Astoria in 2005. They made new families and friends within the neighborhood, Retirement Center and the American Legion where they pillaged the poker machines.

Covid and health slowed their social life. It was time to move to assisted living, where the kind staff at Astor Place looked over them. Dad passed in 2022.

She passed peacefully at age 92 with family at her side.

Shirley is survived by one nephew, several great nieces and nephews, three children, eight grandchildren, seven great-great grandchildren (and two more pending).

We give thanks to so many kind people that gave fond memories to mom and dad. There will be a celebration of life at Knappa Prairie Cemetery, Monday June 26^th at 1:30 pm followed by refreshments at the family farm on Carl Johnson Lane.