Susan Rose “Susie” Johnson

Susan Rose Johnson, age 71, of Bloomington, passed away October 25, 2025 at her home.

Susan, "Susie", was the youngest of five children born to Emery and Lydia (Springer) Johnson on August 28, 1954, in Mora, MN. After failing to reach many typical developmental milestones as a toddler, doctors encouraged her parents to “put her in an institution.” Lydia stood up for her daughter, kept her at home, enrolled her in the local school, and strongly asserted, “She’s fine, she’s just a little slow.” Susie didn’t receive an official diagnosis of Down Syndrome until she was in her teens, but by then it was too late to give up on her and put her in a corner (as was so often done at that time).

Susie moved to Minneapolis with her parents and went on to gain appropriate independence, work in various jobs at restaurants and Opportunity Workshop, go to summer camp, create and sustain lifelong friendships, and fiercely love all of her family members.

Susie’s greatest passion was music. She was Elvis’ biggest fan, knew all his songs, and probably knew more trivia about his life than anyone. She collected records, then tapes, and finally CDs of all her favorite artists. She loved hanging out with her friends and family, drinking coffee (regular, not decaf), and going out to eat.

Susie is survived by her brother, David; her nieces and nephews, Cindy, Kathy, Tom, Kari, Ty, Renee, Trisha, Tony, Dan, Kathleen, and Colleen, along with their spouses, children, and grandchildren. Susie once told her niece, “I love your children, they’re just like family to me.” She did, and they were!

She is preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Roger and Wayne; sister, Janet; and nephew, Patrick.