Eldon A. Johnson, 83, Princeton

February 6, 1940 - December 27, 2023

Eldon “Eldy” Alex Johnson, age 83 of Princeton, MN, passed away on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, at Elim Wellspring Care Center in Princeton. A Memorial Service will be held at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Princeton with Pastor Mike Pancoast officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Princeton and one hour prior to the service on Wednesday.

Eldon was born to Alex and Dorothy (Teutz) Johnson on February 6, 1940, in Princeton. He grew up on the family farm in Greenbush Township and graduated from Princeton High School in 1958. He attended St. Cloud State University, while also working full-time at the John Deere Implement in town as an award-winning salesman. He loved cars, especially his ‘57 Chevy, and he enjoyed helping his friends compete in racing. Eldon was united in marriage with Mary Holland on May 15, 1965, at Sharon Lutheran Church. He returned to farming in 1967, when he and Mary made their home on a dairy farm in Dalbo Township, Isanti County. From around 1970 through the mid-1990s, Eldon and his partners grew the farm, which was known as Greenline Farms, to be one of the largest dairy and crop operations in Minnesota.

After he quit farming, he started a new career in real estate, opening RE/MAX Reliance in 1998. He first partnered with his wife, Mary, then with his daughter, Erin, and Office Administrator, Connie Hamann. He continued to expand his career through the years, becoming a real estate developer and a homebuilder. His favorite part of being in real estate was sitting down face-to-face with someone, building relationships and friendships, and sharing advice and ideas. Eldon had immense knowledge and an incomparable talent for creatively putting together real estate deals, a vision for designing and remodeling homes, and was an “out-of-the-box” problem solver. He worked all the way into his final weeks of life.

Eldon was a lifelong resident of Princeton and was a dedicated community member. He served several terms on the Princeton School Board during the 80s and early 90s, including as School Board Chairman, and was an active member of the Princeton Marching Tigers Booster Club. He served on Trinity Lutheran’s Church Council and at the time of his death, was still a member of Trinity’s Finance Committee and the City of Princeton’s Planning Commission.

In his free-time, Eldon enjoyed spending time with his family and long drives with Mary and their two dogs, Fresca and Lana. For 45 years, Eldon and Mary had a cabin on Gull Lake where Eldon could be found captaining the pontoon or his beloved Cobalt speedboat and attending Drag Races at BIR speedway. He loved taking his whole family on trips, especially to Disney World. Eldon was a caretaker at heart and will be remembered for his good nature and strong work ethic.

Eldon is survived by his loving wife, Mary, of 58 years; daughters, Lynell (Jesse) Barthel and Erin Johnson (Felipe Dominguez); grandchildren, Andrew (Ellen) Barthel, Claire Barthel, Samuel (Mikaela) Barthel, Max Dominguez, and Eva Dominguez; great-grandchild, Eliza Barthel and two great-grandchildren arriving in January; siblings, Nola Johnson, Lois (Robert) Miller, Darryl (Mary) Johnson; and many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; and his brother, Norman Johnson.