William ”Bill” James Johnson, 78, of Great Falls, a retired carpenter, passed away Wednesday, July 18, 2012 from natural causes at a local care facility.

Private family services will be held at a later date. Cremation has taken place under direction of O’Connor Funeral Home.

William is survived by his wife of fifty nine years, Mary (Einan) Johnson; daughters, Karen (Greg) Sampson of Billings, Karol (Gene) Walker of Power, and Kathy (Darryl) Brown-Espeland of Billings; son, Roger (Bridget) Johnson of Great Falls; a brother, Tom Johnson, of CA; twelve grandchildren,seven great-grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter on the way.

He was preceded in death by a son, Steven Johnson and granddaughter Nicole Brown.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in Bill’s name to a charity of the donor’s choice.