Harold Edward "Haroleddie" Johnson

Harold Edward Johnson, "Haroleddie" 77, died August 14, 2016 at his home in Rudd with his daughter and son at his side. He was born June 20, 1939, just outside Eureka Springs, Arkansas to Elbert and Oma (Staten) Johnson. Harold was an Arkansas native and lived his younger years mostly in the Carroll County area; however, he left home for the Los Angeles, California area (Lancaster) for the first time at age 14. He permanently moved there at age 15 and built a successful hay hauling business until the age of 32. In 1971, 45 years ago, he bought a farm in Arkansas and moved back home to raise his children in a wholesome environment. He and his wife of 50 years, Jo, toiled side by side with the help of their son, Bob, and made an extremely successful business out of farming poultry and cattle. In his leisure, he was an avid sports fan spending time watching his favorite teams play: Dodgers, Cubs, and Rams. He had just as much fun watching the St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys lose. Harold was a champion in whatever he decided to do. He won a place in the Hall of Fame of the Antelope Valley Fair Rural Olympics for multiple winnings and the breaking of multiple records. He spent nearly 40 years riding and training Missouri Fox Trotters and won two World Championships. He also served on the board of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association for three years. He instilled and nurtured that incredibly ambitious, fierce, and winning spirit into his children, Bob and Wendy, so that they could indeed live productive and successful lives. The only thing that rivaled his zest for life was his love for his family and pride in his children. He was always a man of hope in any given situation, one of his inspirational catch phrases, "It's okay. We can do hard things." served as words of encouragement for himself and his family. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Wendy J Poole and Hal Poole of Fayetteville and his son, Bob Ladd, and daughter-in-law, Brenda Ladd, of Rudd, and by many nephews and nieces and best friend, Morris Howlett. He was preceded in death by his wife Jo Johnson, his parents, and by all of his siblings: Carroll Burton Johnson, Gerald Johnson, and Virginia Leota Meadows. Visitation will be 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., Thursday, August 18, 2016 at Charles M. Nelson Memorial Chapel, Berryville, Arkansas. A memorial celebration of his life and legacy will be held on Friday, 2 p.m., August 19, 2016 at Charles M. Nelson Memorial Chapel, Berryville, Arkansas. Interment will follow at High Cemetery under the direction of Nelson Funeral Service, Inc. Dinner will be provided at Harold's home in Rudd directly after interment. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Harold and Jo Johnson Scholarship Fund which will benefit students in Carroll County Schools at any AnStaff Bank location. Online condolences may be sent to the family at nelsonfuneral.com. © Nelson Funeral Service, Inc. 2016.