Obituary of Sharon Leibel-Johnson

Sharon Ann (Hahn) Leibel-Johnson, 77, passed away peacefully March 3rd, 2014 after a long and courageous 8 year battle with pulmonary hypertension disease. She was born to Joseph and Margaret (Welsh) Hahn January 18th, 1937 in Tracy, MN. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Mary's Catholic Church of Tracy. Sharon attended grade school, Dist. 13 in Amiret, MN and graduated from Tracy High School in 1955. She moved to Minneapolis after high school and was employed as a secretary at various companies including Bell Telephone and Honeywell. Sharon was the Miss East Minneapolis Aquatennial Queen in 1957. While working at Hiawatha Rubber Company, she met William "Bill" Leibel and they married Feb. 4th 1961. Together they lived in Minneapolis and had two children, Michael and David. In 1971, they moved from Maple Grove to Isanti where they lived on a hobby farm. Sharon worked as an administrative secretary for many years in the Cambridge-Isanti School District. In 1978, she and Bill purchased the Montgomery Ward Catalog Agency in Cambridge and Sharon managed its operation. In 1983, Sharon began her career with the U.S. Postal Service at the Minneapolis Main facility. She was promoted numerous times during her career including being appointed Postmaster at the Braham, MN office from 1993-1994. After the sudden death of her husband Bill in 1996, she assumed the role of President at Design Engineering and Manufacturing Company located in Braham, a company that Bill co-founded in 1986. She returned to the USPS and retired as Director and Human Resources Specialist at the St. Paul Main office in 1999. In 2000, Sharon reconnected with a high school friend LeRoy "Roy" Johnson and they were married Jan. 25th, 2003. Sharon and Roy enjoyed their retirement traveling with their RV to many places in the West and South West United States as well as taking an Alaskan Cruise in 2005. When they were not traveling, she enjoyed the rural life with Roy on the farm until May 2013 when they moved into a twin home that they purchased in the city of Isanti. Throughout her life, Sharon had a passionate love for music. She started playing the piano when she was 5 years old. She accompanied for the men's chorus during high school and she had won numerous awards while participating in musical competitions before and after her graduation. Later in her life, she continued to enjoy music whether it was playing, singing, or listening at home or at church. Sharon also had a deep love for her family, especially her grandchildren. She would treasure the moments during the holidays when all of them could spend time together. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends. Sharon was preceded in death by her parents Joseph and Margaret, her brother Neal Hahn, and her first husband William Leibel. She is survived by her husband LeRoy Johnson of Isanti; son Michael Leibel of Isanti, David (Kendra) Leibel of Cambridge, step son Robert (Tammy) Johnson of North Carolina, sister Sheila (Walt) Nelson of Monticello, grand-children Nathan, Vincent, Jack, William, Maria, Kayla, and Anna; step-grandchildren living in North Carolina Brianna, Bethany, Grayson, and step-great grandson James, and many other relatives and friends. Sharon's family expresses sincere appreciation and gratitude to the personnel at Prairie Senior Cottages, Isanti, MN for their kind and compassionate care in her final days of life.