1944 ~ 2014
Rolf Johannessen, 70, of Sandy, died on September 28, 2014 after an seventeen year battle with Agent Orange related cancer.
Rolf was born in Bergen, Norway on March 24, 1944 to Erling and Helen Johannessen and was the second of three sons. In 1949 the family traveled by ship from Norway to Ellis Island as new immigrants to the United States. Arriving in Salt Lake City on his 5th birthday, he learned quickly that America was truly a land of opportunity when relatives greeted him with a new bike. Rolf grew up Salt Lake and enjoyed caddying at Forest Dale golf course and playing basketball at South High. He joined the United States Air Force two days after graduating from South in 1962. On October 24, 1964 he married his high school sweetheart Sandy (DeYoung) and they spent the next two decades traveling the world with their two children as an Air Force family. They returned home to Salt Lake City in 1984. 
Rolf was highly decorated throughout his Air Force career and retired at the age of forty having achieved the highest rank possible for an enlisted man, Chief Master Sergeant. In 2006 in a ceremony hosted at Sen. Orin Hatch's office, Rolf was inducted into the Order of the Silver Rose, a national order for Viet Nam veterans diagnosed with Agent Orange related cancers. Following his Air Force career he worked as the Network Security Manager for First Security Bank in Salt Lake until his retirement in 1997. 
A life-long member of the LDS Church, Rolf had a strong testimony that guided him throughout his life. Active in church sports, he was a skilled basketball and softball player. Rolf's true sports passion, however, was golf. He spent more than fifty years refining his game and chasing the elusive hole-in-one. In 2004, Rolf and Sandy bought a second home in Saint George so they could play golf year-round. On his 70th birthday, Rolf's family surprised him with birthday cards from Jack Nicolas and Nancy Lopez, two of his favorite golfers. 
He is survived by his wife Sandy; two children: daughter Lisa (Greg) Allen of Salt Lake City; son David (Christopher) Johannessen of Arlington, Texas; three grandchildren Dominique, Matthew Rolf and Brianna Aloha Allen; his two brothers John (Judy) and Kjell (Kathy) Johannessen; and many other family members and friends throughout the world.
The viewing will be Friday night, October 3rd, from 6:00 to 7:30 at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East 10600 South. The funeral will be Saturday, October 4th, at the East Ridge 7th Ward, 1020 East Sunburn Lane (11600 South) in Sandy at noon. Viewing from 11:00 to 11:45.

Published in Deseret News from Oct. 2 to Oct. 3, 2014

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?pid=172645779