Arden Johnson

Arden was born in Brocton, N.Y., on March 30, 1931, a son of the late LeRoy and Clara Carlson Johnson.

A graduate of Brocton Central High School in 1949, he managed his family grape farm until 1964 and served as fire chief and on the Brocton Village Board.

In 1952, he married the former Marilyn Harvey and was blessed with two children: Randy (JoAnne) Johnson of Hattiesburg, Miss., and Marla (Randy) Oste of Bemus Point, N.Y. Arden also had five grandsons: Chris (Patty) of Gulfport, Miss., Bryan of Hattiesburg, Miss.,, Cory (Abbie) of Hattiesburg, Miss., Scott (Angie) Oste of Allentown, Pa., and Marc Oste of Denver, Colo.; and seven great grandchildren: Kaleigh, Ashlyn, Blake, Reed, Makenzie, Levi and Parker.

Arden moved his family to Bemus Point, N.Y., in 1964, and was an insurance claims manager for National Grange Co. until 1984. In 1985 he became a Deputy Chautauqua County Clerk for the Chautauqua County Motor Vehicle Department and served for four years. In 1989, he became office manager for Chautauqua Patrons Insurance and happily remained until his retirement in 2001.

In addition to his employment, Arden was elected to town supervisor of the town of Ellery in 1972 where he first served until 1980 when he became a Chautauqua County Legislator, serving until 1983. After his county tenure, he again was reelected town supervisor and had served graciously in that position continually until his retirement in March of 2022, a total of 50 years. He especially enjoyed working with the board, and several other groups, developing the Ellery Town Park and building a working relationship between the Town Board and the Chautauqua Lake Partnership. In 2012 Arden was recognized with the New York Senate Liberty Award as the “Longest Serving Supervisor in New York State” by then State Senator, Cathy Young. An honor he truly cherished. He has also served as co-chairman of the Chautauqua County Republicans Chairman’s Club.

Arden was a member of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, The Loyal Order of Moose, Jamestown Elks, Mount Moriah Masonic Lodge, Ismailia Shriners and the Norden Club.

Arden had always enjoyed public service, the people of the town of Ellery and Republican politics his entire life. He enjoyed being kind and helpful to all his many friends too. Arden was also a very loving husband, father and grandpa and will be sadly missed by his family and friends.

Besides his parents, Arden was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn (1990); his brother, Gerald (1994); daughter-in-law, JoAnne (2015); and grandson, Bryan (2016).

The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022, in the Lind Funeral Home. The Rev. Ivy Gauvin, pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, will officiate. Burial will be in Bemus Point Cemetery.

Friends will be received from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday in the funeral home, where a Masonic Lodge Funeral Service will be led at 7:45 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations made instead to St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 3748 Route 430, Bemus Point, NY 14712, Bemus Point Fire Dept., 13 Alburtus Avenue, Bemus Point, NY 14712 or the Shriners Hospital for Children, 1645 W. 8th Street, Erie, PA 16505 in Arden’s honor.

You may leave words of condolence at www.lind funeralhome.com.