SIERRAVILLE, CALIF. – Albert John “Johnny” Roen passed away on October 30, 2019 surrounded by his family. He had a great love of life, family, hard work and told all he had a “great run” in life to the very end.
Johnny was born in Oakdale, Calif., on September 6, 1933 to Albert and Marie Roen. He married the love of his life, Betty on March 21, 1953. They had four children: Albert John III (preceded his dad in death), Erik, Paul (Sheri), and Jennifer (Tyler) Holzum. He had 14 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
He served honorably in the Army Corp of Engineers for four years after being drafted in 1953 and served in the Army Reserves for four more years.Johnny was a third-generation cowman, running cattle in all the west coast states. His passions in life were his family, friends, cowboying, trucking, fishing and fire-fighting. He raised his family on the same ranch he grew up on and relocated to the Sierra Valley in 2011 where he and his wife were very active in the community, making many friends and continuing his cattle operation.
His greatest joy came from spending time with his children, grandchildren, friends, and traveling to their sporting events and rodeos.
Johnny’s grandfather immigrated from Norway in 1869 and sponsored 220 fellow Norwegians, giving them a mule and seed to farm with upon arrival in our country.
Service and involvement were pivotal in Johnny’s life. He was a volunteer fireman, commissioner, fire chief of the Waterford Volunteer Fire Department, trustee for the Oakdale Joint Union High School for 12 years, president of the Cattlemen’s Association, state director and Cattleman of the Year. He served as director for the Resource Conservation District, director for the Farm Bureau, and arena director for the La Grange Rodeo Association. He received the Agriculture and Community Service Award from the town of Waterford, he was a server for the Oakdale Cowboy Museum’s annual fundraiser for many years, and he was a Lifetime Member of the Pro Rodeo Historical Society.
A celebration of Johnny’s life was held November 23 in Vinton, Calif. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Loyalton Athletic Scholarship Fund at P.O. Box 1000, Loyalton, CA 96118, or a charity of your choice. The family would like to request that you share your written “Johnny” stories or memories to Betty Roen, P.O. Box 38, Sierraville, CA 96126 or holzumqh@aol.com.