Democratic former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle speaks during former U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson’s funeral at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls on Oct. 18, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
SIOUX FALLS — Tim Johnson’s legacy stretches across South Dakota.
It’s in each drop of water from the Mni Wiconi water project, the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, and several other water systems in South Dakota, said former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle at Johnson’s funeral on Friday in Sioux Falls.
Tim Johnson proved doubters wrong until he had nothing left to prove
“They weren’t just legislative accomplishments but lifelines that brought water, stability and prosperity to thousands of South Dakota farmers and ranchers,” Daschle said. “And they stand today as monuments to his commitment to improving the lives of every person he served.”
Daschle and Johnson, both Democrats, worked together at the federal level for 18 years. Johnson served a combined 36 years in state and federal offices — the longest in South Dakota history. He served 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and 18 in the U.S. Senate, after eight years in the state Legislature.