Bernadine Patricia Johnson

Bernadine left this earth to begin her next adventure on the morning of June 11, 2024, surrounded by her loving family.

Bernadine was born on her family farm in Leroy, North Dakota, on October 2, 1920, to Catherine and Timothy Horgan. She was the youngest of eleven children. School and church were both in Leroy. She walked from their family farm to the one room schoolhouse in Leroy, where she would later return to take her first teaching position after acquiring her teaching certificate. Bernadine gained her love for animals at a young age on the farm. She shared countless stories about her pet geese, chickens, ducks, and pigs, along with every other farm animal you would imagine. Riding horses bareback was one of her fondest childhood memories. Bernadine was no stranger to hard work; many times she told stories about picking spuds by hand with family and friends, earning 5 cents a bag. After a hard day of work, they would head to a barn dance and play even harder.

In 1950 while teaching in Hardin, MT, she met Bob Johnson and they were married on April 7th, 1951. Over the next eight years, Bernadine and Bob had their three children, Kathy, Little Bob, and Jerry. Bernadine never stopped teaching for the rest of her life, whether in a school, her living room or while eating breakfast at one of West’s local cafes. Bernadine was a great story teller and loved doing it; “I have the floor” was her catch phrase when she was ready to begin a story. She really took joy in telling stories about the many students she taught throughout the years. She would light up while sharing those memories.

Also, in the early 50’s, Bernadine began the chapter of her life that we remember. Bernadine and Bob purchased the Old Faithful Cabins in West Yellowstone. From then on, the iconic neon owl has illuminated the Ho Hum Motel. Along with substitute teaching at West Yellowstone Schools, she operated the motel while raising a family. This is where she left her legacy and touched so many lives. During the summer season she would go across the street to the Desert Inn and clean rooms, then return to clean her own rooms afterwards. Bernadine’s passions were hard work, eating out, shopping, garage sales, riding around for hours just to see “the boys” (wolves) or to see if anything had changed since her last ride, getting a deal on anything, her lilac bushes, watching Cubs Baseball, and of course, cats. She never met a cat that she didn’t need to feed. 

Bernadine was a devout Catholic and was a fixture in the back row of Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church for 70 years. Bernadine played hard, worked hard, and loved life ferociously. She never let any grass grow under her feet. Most of all her greatest joys came when helping others, and being with family (both the two and four legged kinds). Bernadine’s work ethic was matched by none, and she always said “When you stop working you will probably stop breathing”.

Bernadine was preceded in death by her husband, “Big” Bob Johnson; son, “Little” Bob Johnson; son-in-law, Rudy Boelter; great-granddaughter, Zoe Empey; as well as her parents, all of her sisters and brothers, and many nieces and nephews. Bernadine is survived by her daughter, Kathy Boelter, of Menan, Idaho; son, Jerry (Jacquelyn) Johnson, of West Yellowstone; daughter-in-law, Bonnie Barnhart, of Bozeman; grandchildren, Tim (Sheri) Boelter, of Billings, Kate (David) Lindsay, of Menan, ID, Brian Boelter, of Menan, ID, Keith (April) Johnson, of West Yellowstone, Kendra Johnson (Brady Castellano), of Livingston, Megan (Jacob) Miranda, of Helena, Nathaniel (Jackie) Johnson, of Highlands Ranch, CO; her great-grandchildren, DJ, Sam, Kara, Jordyn, Cherish, Sage, Jack, Francesca, Clark, Calvin, and Payton; and a great-great-grandchild, Raiden. 

Mass of Resurrection will take place at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church, 437 Madison Ave, West Yellowstone. Interment will follow the Mass in Fir Ridge Cemetery. Donations in Bernadine’s honor are suggested to the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter, 1549 E. Cameron Bridge Rd., Bozeman, MT 59718; or Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church.