William J. "Bill", "Billy Joe" Johnson, 86, of Spearfish, South Dakota, longtime resident of Harding County, SD, passed away on November 21, 2016 in Spearfish SD.

Funeral services for William will be Monday, November 28, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. at the Grand River Lutheran Church in Buffalo, SD, with visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at the Buffalo Cemetery.

William J. Johnson was born February 20, 1930 in Bowman, ND, to W.O. "Dick" and Mary Jane (Clarkson) Johnson. Bill was raised on the family ranch in the South Cave Hills of Harding County. He served for one year in the U.S. Air Force at Sam Houston Air Force Base in Texas after graduating from Buffalo High School in 1948.

William married Elma Coffield on September 22, 1949 in Rapid City, SD and they made their home on his grandparents' ranch on the north side of the South Cave Hills in Harding County. To this union four children were born: Robert, Susan, Ross and Mary. Bill was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He served on the local school board, was a Harding County Commissioner for 16 years, a state lobbyist for the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners, and a South Dakota State Senator from 1987 to 1997. He was a director for Harding and Perkins Farm Mutual Insurance Company for 50 years, serving as President for many of those years. Elma passed away in April of 1995. Bill married Mariagnes Caron in 1996 in Deadwood, SD. After fulfilling his last term in the legislature in 1997, he retired to Spearfish, South Dakota.

William is survived by his sister, Greta Turbiville; four children, Robert (Mary) Johnson, Susan (Merton) Clarkson, Ross (Diane) Johnson and Mary (Tom) Holt; seven grandchildren, Melynda Gress, Ann Johnson, Alicia Burghduff, Wayne Johnson, Kathy Johnson, Crystal Pietz and Kayla Wood; 19 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Marie Packard and Fay Coffield and special friend, Mariagnes Caron.

He was preceded in death by his wife Elma; parents, Dick and Mary Jane Johnson; Elma's parents, Hubert and Lucille Coffield; grandson, Garrett Clarkson; grandson-in-law, Shawn Burghduff; brothers and sisters-in-law, William Turbiville, Elmer and Ellen Besler, Pat Coffield, Arnold and Mary Kay Coffield, Clarence and Delores Coffield, and Frank Packard.

Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels and Crematory Service of Spearfish. Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com