Hedwig Maria Karoline (Rumetsch) Johnson passed away early morning December 26, 2016 at the Owatonna Homestead Hospice House following a courageous fight with cancer and a collapsed vertebrae. Hedwig (Hedi) Johnson was born September 10, 1947 in Uffenheim, Germany, the daughter of Elizabetha (Horecsny von Horka) and Ludwig Christof Rumetsch. She was baptized, confirmed and attended school in her home town in Bavaria, Germany. Furthering her education, Hedi attended language and translator schools in the nearby town of Wuerzburg, receiving her graduation diplomas in English and French. This led to her hiring by the United States Department of Defense where she was responsible for assisting military families find and rent adequate housing along with providing translation services to them while they were serving in Germany. It was during this time, early in 1969, that she met the love of her life while he was serving in the U.S. Army. Following a European discharge from the service, Hedi and Dennis were married in April, 1970 in Hedi's hometown. Her father, the mayor of the town, performed the civil ceremony, followed by a religious ceremony three days later in a 500 year old church. Later that year, Minnesota became their destination. While Dennis continued his education in Moorehead, their son was born in 1971. In 1972 the wanderlust took the family back to Germany where they stayed 18 years. While in Germany, Hedi was instrumental in raising their son while also continuing her profession of language/translation and enjoyed working with the elderly in local senior centers. After moving to Owatonna in 1990, Hedi returned to school in Mankato and received her B.A. degree and a degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling. Always a great listener and spiritual person, this led to several years of helping the young and elderly in recovery programs. Hedi officially left the workforce in 2016 from her position at the mental health division of the Owatonna Hospital. Hedi was a proud member of a 12 step program and on December 4, 2016 celebrated her 30th birthday of living clean surrounded by family, sponsor, sponsee and recovering friends. The highlight of her life in America was the day she took the oath to become an American citizen. Hedi loved spending time with her family and was especially fond of her 2 grandchildren. She also enjoyed cooking German meals, was a very avid reader, thoroughly enjoyed traveling, worked crossword puzzles in two languages and was always ready to lend an ear when someone needed to talk and ask advice. A special thank you to the staff at the Homestead Hospice House, Owatonna for the care given Hedi during here stay there. Hedi was preceded in death by her parents, parents-in-law and an uncle. She is survived by her husband of 46 plus years, Dennis, Owatonna, MN; her son, Matthias and daughter-in-law, Teresa and grandchildren, Anysia and Galen, all of Westminster, CO; brother, Dieter with wife, Birgit, Wuerzburg, Germany; sister-in-law, Lynne, Palo Alto, CA; niece, Kirsten, Barcelona, Spain; nephew, John, Las Vegas, NV; and her Aunt Ilse, Langen, Germany. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Homestead Hospice in Owatonna, Safe Harbour in Owatonna, or a Cancer Organization of the donors choice. Visitation will be from 4:00-6:30pm Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at Michaelson Funeral Home in Owatonna. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 5:30pm Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at Michaelson Funeral Home in Owatonna. Visitation: 12/28/2016 16:00 12/28/2016 18:30 Service: 12/28/2016 17:30