Gaylord Businessmen and Brothers Honor Father with Gift to Otsego Memorial Hospital

Each morning, around 9 o’clock, Steve and Kevin Johnson joined their dad, Dale, for a cup of coffee and conversation at Diana’s Delights in their northern Michigan hometown of Gaylord. After starting the day at the office, the trio took a coffee break at this downtown fixture.

Over breakfast, the sons heard their father share “the same stories over and over again,” as the brothers recalled with a smile – stories of growing up part of a farming family on the outskirts of Gaylord, of dropping out of school in the seventh grade to do his part on the farm, to later raising a family of his own in this working-class town, not long after serving as a staff sergeant during the Korean War, and of slowly building an expansive oil and gas company that began with a single service station.

Steve and Kevin, who now operate Johnson Oil Company, say it was their late father’s humble beginnings, strong work ethic, and giving spirit that helped shape them as individuals and business owners. To honor him, they decided to give back to the community they all have loved so much, with a gift of $750,000 toward the renovation of the Munson Healthcare Otsego Memorial Hospital Emergency Department.

“This gift was the single largest gift in the history of the OMH Foundation and was the cornerstone of the capital campaign,” said Kim Biddinger, Leadership Giving Officer with the Foundation. “The OMH Emergency Department will proudly be renamed The Dale E. Johnson Emergency Department to honor their generosity.”

Building a Business

The brothers recalled how their father, upon returning from the war and learning his previous job was no longer available, took out a loan to open a service station in 1954. He worked hard to pay off the loan as quickly as he could, his sons said.

“He was just very humble – that’s just the way our dad was,” said Kevin, 53. “I think what happens, when you’re self-made, you go get that loan, and then everything is, ‘How many gallons of gas do I need to sell to pay for dinner tonight? How much do I need to sell to pay for this?’ And still to this day, I think, if I get a new truck, we’ve got to sell this many gallons of propane or whatever it is to pay for it. That was the mentality when you build it from nothing. I think it’s important that Steve and I grew up with that. It’s tough when you get to the third and fourth generations that didn’t see that dedication and didn’t put as much work into it, to get it to the level to be successful. My dad would always say to us, it took 50 years to get it to this level. You boys can lose it in two if you’re not careful.”

Today, Johnson Oil Company includes home fuel oil delivery, propane delivery, and additional gas stations, convenience stores, and Johnson Oil card fuel centers in Gaylord as well as Lewiston, Kalkaska, Grayling, Petoskey, Boyne City, Waters, and Lake City.

Commitment to His Community

Supporting Gaylord and its residents was important to Dale Johnson, who died in 2004 at Otsego Memorial Hospital following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Though he’d never let on to others, his sons knew that he often helped families in need stay warm throughout winter.

“He would have someone call, saying they’re out of fuel oil,” said Steve, 62. “They didn’t pay their bill and that’s why they don’t have fuel. But they have two little kids in the house. It was 10 o’clock at night and he didn’t call anybody. He got into the truck himself and drove out there and took with him 100 gallons of fuel.” “Knowing he wasn’t going to get paid for it,” Kevin added.

“He couldn’t stand to have those kids being cold,” Steve said. “’It’s not the kids’ fault,’ – that’s what he would always say.”

Honoring a Humble Man

Communities are stronger when high quality health care services are available, and Steve and Kevin wanted to do their part in ensuring this is the case in their hometown.

“Steve and I have been so committed, even through the tough times, to make [the family business] work because of our dad and his heritage,” Kevin said. “Our dad would probably be, I know for a fact, embarrassed to have his name on the front of a hospital because he was such a humble person. He’d be honored but at the same time feel awkward. But we got to make that decision and we’re really proud of a seventh grade drop-out who worked so hard that we’re able to give something back to the community.”

“And as we get older, it’s important we have good health care in our community,” he said. “That seemed like the most logical place to give to, to give to health care, for the people in our community.”

In September 2016, Otsego Memorial Hospital leaders announced a $15 million renovation and expansion project of the Emergency Department, Surgery, and Ambulatory Care Departments. The OMH Foundation began the “quiet phase” of its fundraising campaign in November of 2015 and has since reached its $4 million goal, said Kim Biddinger, Leadership Giving Officer with the Foundation. Local businesses, community members, and OMH employees and auxiliary members all contributed to this project.

“This $15 million project includes 17,000 square feet of heavy renovation and 15,000 square feet of new construction,” Biddinger said. “It will increase the size of the Emergency Department, Ambulatory Care, and Surgery Departments.” The expansion also will increase the number of exam rooms in the Emergency Department from 12 to 18, including two new trauma bays. It will also add a new and larger operating room to accommodate the da Vinci® surgical system for minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgeries. Ambulatory Care will change to all private patient rooms, enhancing privacy and security.