Johnny was born November 2, 1941 in Java, SD to Jacob & Elizabeth (George) Schlepp. He grew up in Selby, SD and was a true cowboy working on farms in the area. He was known to break multiple bones in his younger days mainly by getting thrown from horses while working.
After his parents divorced he moved to Arlington, NE in 1961 to be with his mom. He worked at Campbell Soup and an alfalfa mill in the area. In 1963 he moved to Fremont and started at Magnus Metal where he would stay, as a machinist, for almost 46 years, retiring on June 4, 2009.
He met Geraldine 'Jeri' Nagengast in 1963 after coming to Fremont and they were married on November 25, 1964. From this union came two daughters, Deborah & Stacy. Johnny always thought he would be the first to go, but after 54+ years of marriage he lost his beloved Jeri to dementia in 2019.
Johnny was a former Treasurer of the Dodge County Democrat Party for many years. He was also the Treasurer of the Local 6257 Union and a former VP of the Fremont Federation Union. He loved wood working in his spare time on the weekends and also collecting model HO trains. He had a huge train track in the basement of his home where the kids would love to go over and run the trains around the track. Johnny could be a stubborn man but his heart was big and he was always there to help anyone that needed it, day or night.
Survivors:
Daughters - Deborah (Mike Hoffman) Schlepp of Valley, NE
Stacy (Travis) Shafer of Crescent, IA
Grandsons - Malachi Shafer of San Diego, CA and his children Serenity, Penelope, & Asher;
Isiah Shafer of Council Bluffs, IA; Zechariah Shafer of Fremont
Sister - Sandy Severson of Medford, OR
Sister-In-Laws - Elaine (Gene) Crist of Fremont and Ruth Nagengast of West Point
Brother-In-Laws - Norman (Judy) Nagengast of Moorpark, CA and Daniel (Sandy) Nagengast of Emporia, KS
Johnny was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Brothers Billy Schlepp & Jerry Steiger. Sisters Julia Sladek & Helen Henry. Brother-in-Laws William Nagengast, Ron Vrba, & Marlin Rogers. Sister-in-Laws Valdean Vrba & Velma Nagengast. Nephew Dennis Rogers.
Visitation will be Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at the Ludvigsen Mortuary Chapel in Fremont from 3pm to 7pm with the family present 5pm to 7pm. The funeral will be 10am, Thursday at the Ludvigsen Mortuary Chapel. Burial will follow in Memorial Cemetery. Memorials to the Fremont Area Alzheimer's Collaboration or the American Heart Association. Online guestbook at www.Ludvigsenmortuary.com
Condolences(0)