Buster Johnson (Waldemar Edward) was born on September 3, 1939 and left this world on March 17, 2026, maybe because heaven needed his wonderful, infectious laugh and the light of such a beautiful spirit.
He was the son of Allen and Eunice (Hall) Johnson and grew up in a lively household which included not only his brothers and sisters, Nina Stockdale, Joyce Miller, Jerry, Phyllis Dietrich, James “Chick” and Joe, but also his Johnson grandparents and his Uncle Edward.
In 1972 he met Annette Hugi, his most cherished and adored love. In 1974 they married and, with his three boys Scott, Jay and Rusty, they started their lives together. Joshua and Luke were soon added to the crew and they built a life on a small farm south of Spring Valley. There, Buster did what he did best and what he loved: worked hard for his family, raised animals, farmed land, “fixed” (jerry-rigged) things and built lean-tos onto every building he could.
Buster went to school in Spring Valley with the class of 1958. He spent years with Red Owl and Super Valu as a meat department manager before buying the Foodliner in 1968 and proudly renaming it Buster’s AG Food Store Eventually his entrepreneurial mindset led him to build Buster’s Custom Meats and Processing in 1979.
Buster served on the fire departments in Eldora, Iowa, Spring Valley and Ostrander, and was an EMT and first responder in the 1970s because, apparently, one demanding career wasn’t enough. He gave generously to many fundraisers and causes including the fire department, the VFW Auxiliary, the historical society, and the food shelf. He was deeply involved with high school FFA Meats teams and partnered with the Mayo Clinic’s anesthesia and transplant departments, providing animal parts for science and research.
He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Ostrander and served on the church council. He loved his grandkids and they loved and adored their Grandpa Buster.
Buster leaves behind his devoted wife Annette, five sons: Scott, Jay (Denise), Rusty (Bonnie), Joshua (Michele) and Luke (Colleen); 10 grandchildren: Monte, Jayson, Justice, Cole, Meghan, Carter, Alex, Elsie and Mara; one great-granddaughter, Keelinn; brother Joe (Grand Meadow), sister in law Julie (Joe) Sanchez, brothers-in-law Leon (Denise) Hugi, Steven Hugi, Hugh (Roberta) Hugi and Jerry Miller; many precious nieces and nephews, lifelong cherished friends and the Hahns.
He worked hard, loved deeply, taught and gave of himself generously, lived fully and had lots and lots of fun
He was preceded in death by his parents and parents-in-law, an infant grandson, his sisters Nina, Joyce and Phyllis; brothers Jerry and James, Nina and Phyllis’s husbands Don Stockdale and Roger Dieterich, Jerry and Joseph’s wives Fini and Carol, and daughter-in-law Lori Johnson.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ostrander, Minn., with Pastor Hermann Bakker officiating. A visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the church, visitation will continue for one hour prior to the service on Saturday. Condolences may be left at www.hindtfuneralhomes.com
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