Nancy Kay Johnson
February 16, 1949 to December 12, 2025.
Nancy grew up a Nebraska girl. She was born in Fremont, Nebraska and a few years later her family moved to Humboldt, Nebraska. She graduated from Humboldt High School in 1967 and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nebraska. Nancy taught junior high science in Fremont, Nebraska for about 10 years and earned her first master’s degree during this time. Then she made a career change. She returned to school and earned a second master’s degree, this time in Landscape Architecture, from the University of Illinois.
She moved to Montana without a job lined up and found work with a Helena consulting firm writing environmental assessments for proposed oil and gas wells in southwest Wyoming. She was then hired on contract by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to help write the addendum to an environmental impact statement analyzing the impacts of rerouting the 500 kV transmission lines from Colstrip around the Flathead Indian Reservation. Eventually she was hired full time by DNRC and continued to work with a team of environmental science specialists preparing environmental impact statements for large electric transmission lines, pipelines, and basin wide water allocation decisions. She actively participated in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s relicensing of Montana Power’s hydroelectric facilities on the Madison and Missouri Rivers. Eventually her program was legislatively transferred to the Department of Environmental Quality where she continued this work.
Later in her career she was offered a position with a consulting firm in Missoula helping to administer grants made available through The River Fund. The River Fund was created to mitigate recreation impacts related to continued operation of the Montana Power Company’s dams and reservoirs on the Madison and Missouri Rivers and enhance recreation experiences of users along these river corridors. The agreement creating the River Fund had been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Nancy met Thomas Ring, her husband of nearly 38 years, while doing consulting work. She carefully balanced her professional life with her family life and raising their daughter, Heather Ring.
After retirement, Nancy and her husband built a home befitting a landscape architect with expansive views of the Elkhorns, Bridgers, Big Belts, and the Continental Divide. They continued to garden as they had when they first met and shared a community garden plot in Helena. Nancy volunteered with Helena Food Share, traveled with her husband, and advocated for her daughter. She enjoyed outdoor activities learning to sail, hunt, and cross-country ski. She took pleasure in camping, canoeing, and fishing with her daughter and husband. But mostly, she appreciated Montana’s vast landscapes and open views.
Nancy is survived by her sister Judy Dorsch of Helena; sister Betty Maslo of Waukon, Iowa; husband Thomas Ring of Helena; and daughter Heather Ring of Helena.
She is missed.
Service Schedule
Graveside Service
A private Graveside Service for Family
Forestvale Cemetery
Helena, Montana
Service Schedule
Graveside Service
A private Graveside Service for Family
Forestvale Cemetery
Helena, Montana
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Donna Disher-Hathy says
Dear Tom and Heather,
I am so saddened to hear about the loss of your beloved wife and mother. She was a nice neighbor and a wonderful person.
Please accept my sincerest condolences.
Donna and Al Hathy