Dave Johns, a ’68 Reed City graduate, will insist that he’s just a simple man, someone not all that interesting.
Nonsense.
From 1986 to 2011, Dave worked for the Osceola County Road Commission. During that time, he, along with his wife Shirley, raised their 3 children – Kimberly, Tim, and Todd – from their home in Dighton. Their 3 kids went on to graduate from Marion, and later bless them with 12 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren [and counting].
And since Dave’s retirement from the county in 2011, he’s only managed to become busier. Currently, Dave is the President of the Osceola County Township Association. He’s on the board of the Mecosta Osceola Transit Authority. He’s a trustee for Sherman Township, along with being a member of the Tustin Fire Board.
Sounds interesting to me.
Between board meetings, and the grandkids sporting events, Dave stays plenty busy. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
We caught up with him recently and learned a little bit more about his story; we learned that Dave Johns is certainly more than just another face in the crowd.
Marion Press: Where were you born and raised? What kept you busy? Did you have a big family?
Dave: I was born and raised in Reed City. I’m one of 7 children. Back then, 7 was kind of average; nowadays, you have 4 kids and it’s considered large. I played basketball up until 10th grade, and I broke my ankle and couldn’t play after that.
MP: And I know your kids and grandkids were into sports also…
Dave: All of my grandkids have been in sports throughout high school, and our youngest [granddaughter] is a senior, and she’s in track, volleyball, and basketball.
MP: So what was life like back then [in the ‘60s]?
Dave: Life back then was simple. I remember – when I started driving at 16 – buying gas for .27 cents a gallon. Now you’re looking at over $3.00 for gas. Things were different; all stores were closed on Sundays. I graduated from Reed City in ’68.
MP: After high school, where did life take you?
Dave: I started working at Oldsmobile in Lansing, the summer I graduated. But that fall, I met the love of my life [Shirley] and she was up here. So [I moved up here] and went to work to work at Evart Products for a while.
We got married in 1969, and this coming April we’ll celebrate 55 years.
MP: Congratulations! Tell us a little bit about your family. What has kept the Johns’ Family busy over the years?
Dave: We have three children [Kimberly, Tim, and Todd]: With three children, God thought we needed three more, so he gave us their spouses – and they’re my children too. So we have 12 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren now.
Pretty much, we were chasing our kids back and forth from sports and school. Each one of our two boys played football and basketball. Our youngest son Todd also ran track, and our daughter played basketball. Back then, the boys and girls played different days… Shirley and I would go together for Kimberly’s basketball game on Tuesday, but then on Thursday, one would go to football and one would go to basketball. And then as a family, we’d be together on Friday night for football.
We did a lot of camping with the kids too. They all went to Marion [Schools].
MP: How long have you lived in Dighton? What have you enjoyed the most about living here?
Dave: We bought the house that we’re in back in 1975, but we didn’t move in until after Kimberly got out of kindergarten in ’76.
Dighton is a nice little community. You pretty much know everybody. It was a nice place to raise the family… You have the luxury of being close enough to Cadillac, but yet you’re not in Cadillac. You have the luxury of having a store, so if you need gas or miscellaneous items you can go to the store and get them. It’s kind of the best of both worlds.
MP: You spent 25 years with the Osceola County Road Commission. What did you enjoy the most about that job?
Dave: I enjoyed the people I worked with. When you’re out on the road commission, you’re pretty much out by yourself all day long. You’re out blading the roads, and grading the roads, or hauling gravel here or there. You have a base that you come back to at night and see the guys you’d work with. It was a really, really good place to work at, and it still is.
MP: You’re currently the President of the Osceola County Township Association. Can you explain to our readers what that is?
Dave: The Osceola County Township Association is the organization of all the townships in Osceola County. I’m currently the president, and in March we’ll be electing new officers. Peggy Hoard is the secretary, and Doug Bontekoe is the vice president. We try to [tackle issues] that the townships are going through; blight ordinances, for example.
We’ve had Sheriff Cool come with drug enforcement out of Traverse City, to give us an idea of what they do and what’s involved. We try to come up with solutions to benefit the county as a whole. We try to address any issues that each township has, with the hope that we can work together to accomplish stuff.
For example, Middle Branch Township has a blight ordinance; Sherman Township doesn’t, but we’re looking to get one. We look at what other townships have, take bits and pieces of what works that we can maybe use for ours, but yet we don’t want to be really strict with a blight ordinance where you can’t do this or that…
MP: You’re also on the board of MOTA [Mecosta Osceola Transit Authority]. Tell us about that.
Dave: I’m very proud of that organization, and what they do for the county. Their growth, and their ideas, not just for Osceola, but Osceola and Mecosta both. That group I’m very proud of. I’m proud of the employees, and every aspect of that organization. It’s running very smoothly. The director, Staci Hitts, she’s an amazing young lady. There’s a young lady who started with MOTA as a bus washer, and here she is now as the director. And she does an awesome job.
MP: Sherman Township Trustee, President of OCTA, on the board of MOTA, any other memberships that we should know about?
Dave: I’m on the Tustin Fire Board, representing Sherman Township along with Art Black.
MP: Geez, Dave, you sure stay busy!
Dave: My wife says that I’m busier now than when I worked!
MP: What’s the best advice that you’ve been given? What’s worked for you?
Dave: What I try to do, I just pray that I do my best. When I’m on the board, I pray that I listen. I make mistakes, but I try to rectify them. Just be honest, and be yourself.