SANTA ROSA — Former newspaper owner and publisher Roland R. Johnsrud died Thursday in Santa Rosa a couple of weeks after a fall that left him with broken ribs.
He spent his 99th birthday in intensive care. His daughter, Jody McGoogan, said though he suffered serious injuries, he remained in good spirits.
“He wanted his 3-o”clock tea and cookies every day,” McGoogan said, “But the day before yesterday, he said, ?I don”t want tea today.” Hospice was there for just four hours when he passed.”
Johnsrud was born on July 25, 1913 in Portland, Ore., the son of Joseph Andreas and Mignonette Fleischer Johnsrud. He graduated from Reed College in Portland, Ore. and attended graduate school at the University of Oregon.
During World War II he served in the Navy in the South Pacific. Following the war he and his wife, Martha, settled in Willits where he joined his father-in-law and brothers-in-law in operating various aspects of the family business, E.H. Maize and Sons.
In 1958 he moved to Lakeport and bought the Lake County Bee and the Lakeport Press and Record. He later combined the newspapers into the Lake County Record-Bee, which he published until 1982.
After retiring, Roland and Martha moved to Santa Rosa in 2001, where they lived in the Oakmont community and enjoyed visits with family and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Martha Maize Johnsrud, in December 2011. He is survived by his three children: Jody and husband, Dick McGoogan, Sally Tingley, Rich Johnsrud and wife, Patricia.
His hands-on approach to publishing made him a regular attendee at nearly every Lake County Supervisors meeting and city council meeting, as well as every high school football and basketball game, and most morning get-togethers at the coffee shop.
McGoogan received a note on Friday from Johnsrud”s niece, Alycia Bellenfant, that stated in part: “I thought the world of him … The world lost a good one, but Heaven”s gained one.”
Former co-workers remember him as a hard-working and dedicated man.
The Stars of Lake County “Man of the Year” award is named after Johnsrud.
“Roland was the publisher emeritus at the Record-Bee in 1984 when I was hired by the paper as its first full-time sports editor in late August of that year. Just a few years earlier he had sold the newspaper to the Mead family of Erie, Pennsylvania,” Brian Sumpter said Friday. “He worked in every capacity possible during his ownership of the Record-Bee, including sports reporter from the mid-1950s onward. The Block L Society of Clear Lake High School honored him for his outstanding coverage of the school”s sports teams and the award remains on display in the Record-Bee”s main lobby. When the Record-Bee shifted from its old building on North Main Street to its current facility on South Main Street in the late 1980s, he had his own office as publisher emeritus. He often visited the Record-Bee to chat with its employees. Even after he moved away, he stayed in touch for many years. He was respected by his co-workers, those in the industry and the community in which he resided for so many years,” Sumpter added.
Lakeport Rotarian, Melissa Fulton said Johnsrud never missed a Rotary Club meeting in 60 years.
He was an avid supporter of high school sports, 4-H, and other youth activities in the community. He enjoyed golf, fishing, boating on Clear Lake and his weekend farming. The family”s summer cabin in southern Oregon was a cherished retreat.
Record-Bee employee Leslie Firth said Friday, “It”s with great sadness to hear he has passed on. Roland was the image of why newspapers were so important to small communities. He was a leader, newsman and ran his newspaper with an open mind and a kind heart. He will always be an inspiration to those of us who knew him.”
Roland”s children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and extended family cherish their special experiences and fond memories with Roland and Martha. A private family celebration of both their lives will be held.
