My uncle, Christian Arne Johansen passed away today, 12/26/2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. He and Elsie were steady attendees at the West Denmark family camp in its early years, and he continued to come for many years after Elsie was gone. He would have been 93 next month. He loved his Danish roots and West Denmark. He was a decorated WWII hero, an Army Timberwolf. Uncle made wine for many years and I always loved having a glass or two with him. I stayed many nights at their home in Des Moines on my trips to and from Wisconsin while living in Colorado. He and Elsie traveled the entire country with a tent camper. I remember one time when they were camping near Estes Park, Colorado and I joined them for 3 nights. We hiked and even slipped into The Wheel Bar for a beer. We enjoyed many good visits at Gus and Lois's in Wisconsin.
After Elsie was gone, I drove Uncle, Dad and Ev to the East coast. We toured DC and saw many sights along the way. It was the trip of a lifetime for me.
Uncle never hesitated to share his democratic views. He was a writer and shared many stories with us about his youth, service years and memories of West Denmark.
I will miss him, he was my Dad's brother and friend. He was my favorite Uncle. I am sad for the loss but glad for Uncle's life and legacy.
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