Walter was born October 12, 1909, in Almora, Stearns Co., Minnesota, a farming community. He was the second of the three sons of Andrew Elmer Johnson and Isabelle Theoline Pierce. His baptismal certificate from the Crow River Lutheran Church is signed by T. O. Tolo, and is in Norwegian. He was confirmed there on August 17th, 1924.

Walter was one of 23 students receiving their diplomas from Mr. Theodore Olson on June 1, 1928, the largest class, to date, to complete high school in Belgrade, Minnesota. A memorable event was his participation in a production of a 3-act farce, "A Full House".

When he was in his early twenties, Walter set a record of hitch-hiking to Morganstown, West Virginia "in five and a half days - and walking only about 25 or 30 miles on the trip", as documented in his letters to The Tribune, newspaper of Belgrade. He eventually went to work for the Holes Publishing Company in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It was there he married Nona Willcoxen on June 23, 1934. Three of their four children were born there.

Following the end of WWII, he resigned from his job, and with rationing off, bought four new tires for the 1938 Ford sedan, sold everything they had, packed what little remained and left for Florida where his father was living. It had been his intention to live there, but no one in the family was used to the climate, or the culture! Returning to St. Paul, Minnesota, Walter found a job with the Webb Publishing Company where he worked until his retirement. He remained a member of the Typographical Union until the day he died.

He bought and cleared land in Willernie, Minnesota. Walter knew nothing about construction, but he was a great reader. Sending for free government publications which he studied, he was able to build their house. Their last child was born there. In 1953 he sold the house, took a leave of absence, and spent three months traveling to Texas, California and Washington state. Returning, they eventually settled in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Walter and Nona were divorced in 1970. After retirement he traveled a great deal, and he especially loved St.Thomas in the Caribbean. He had hunted, fished, and bowled in his lifetime, but his favorite sport was golf. In 1986 he moved to California where he was able to golf year round.

Walter died August 7th 1996. His ashes were returned to Belgrade, and buried in the family plot in the M.E. Cemetery with his father, grandfather and grandmother. The land for the cemetery was donated by his grandfather, C. H. Johnson.

A memorial service for Walter was held at the Crow River Lutheran church on the 17th of August, 1996, the same church he had been confirmed in exactly  seventy two years before.