Ralph Johnson ’69

Ralph Johnson, minister admired for compassion, sensitivity, dies at 51

For his congregation, the Rev. Ralph O. Johnson was a source of comfort in times of tragedy.

Noted for his inspiring sermons at memorial services and his thoughtful approach to grieving, Johnson was often sought out for advice by members of his Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka and by other ministers.

In the end, he couldn’t cope with his own tragedies. After a lifelong struggle with severe depression, Johnson, 51, took his own life Thursday at Region Hospital in St. Paul. He had been there for a month to treat the disease.

“He was able to accomplish an incredible amount despite his depression,” said Helene Johnson, his wife of 28 years. “It really became beyond he ability to cope with it.” He didn’t go without a fight, she said. “He was very much a person who sought answers, from many different professionals. But depression is a mysterious science. The disease still needs a lot of research.”

Helene said her husband’s personal struggle also made him a minister of uncommon compassion and sensitivity. A graduate of United Theological Seminary in New Brighton, he often received invitations from ministers outside the area to speak at memorial services.

Helene has been “overwhelmed” by calls from church member whose lives be touched. “He was someone you could talk with about your problems,” she said. Johnson was equally attentive to matter at home. A devoted father, he took time off to tend to his son Blake’s medical condition, hydrocephalus, and a surplus of fluid in the brain.

A native of West St. Paul, he was a Sibley High School valedictorian before graduating from Carleton College, where he was the class president in 1969. He spent five years in the educational travel business before receiving his divinity degree.

Johnson became the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka in 1987, where he preached until 1997. Under his leadership, the church’s membership grew from 150 to 420.

Besides his wife and son Blake, 15, Johnson is survived by his mother, Ruth E. Johnson of Minneapolis. Memorial services will be held at 7:00 p.m. Thursday at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.