Maynard Johnson

Maynard Johnson Obituary

Maynard Lyell Johnson, 99, passed away from natural causes on July 31, 2024, at Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah, IA. Maynard was born March 12, 1925, at the family farm one mile northwest of LeGrand to Lyell and Ursula (Mills) Johnson. He graduated from LeGrand High School in 1942. He served his country in the United States Navy in WW II on the repair ship USS Pentheus (ARL-20). His assignment was operating the diesel engines that included the largest of the era.

He was united in marriage to Marjorie Moser on January 23, 1949, at the United Methodist Church in Nevada, Iowa. Their entire productive years were spent farming the same farm, Timbercreek Meadows, on Shady Oaks Road near Marshalltown, IA, where they fed cattle and raised registered Angus. They were married 60 years. He loved to walk and walked his last mile on Shady Oaks Road in late 2019. After the Covid lockdown in early 2020, he lived with his son near Decorah, IA, for almost two years where he loved to watch the wild turkeys and deer. Then after barely surviving Covid, he lived the last two years of his life in the nursing home.

Maynard especially enjoyed his part-time job with the Marshall County Farm Service Agency measuring farms for government programs throughout the county for several years. His hobbies were fishing, hunting, fishing, ham radio, fishing, and visiting his Uncle Glenn Mills in King Hill, Idaho. The pair took many hikes into the Idaho Sawtooth Mountains. They found one small very remote unnamed lake that abounded with trout. They named the lake “No-Tellum.” It is still a special family destination to this day. While not all of his family took on his great love of fishing, he could easily be persuaded to travel with them to see the Pella tulips in the spring. His wry sense of humor always kept everyone smiling.

He was a lifelong member of LeGrand Friends Church and even into his late 90s would watch the virtual Sunday service on his computer. His oft-repeated advice to almost everyone was, “If you want friends, you’ve got to be a friend.”

Maynard is survived by his children Dr. Glenn (Vivien) Johnson of Calmar, IA, and Molly (Russell) Allen of Sheffield, IA; six grandchildren: Dr. Melissa (Roland) Holcomb of Rapid City, SD, Dr. Mark (Emily) Johnson of Columbia, MD, Paul Johnson of Spring Grove, MN, Carrie (Mak) Khalaf of Maastricht, The Netherlands, Jed (Candie) Allen of Sheffield, IA, and Alicia (Nick) Loehlein of Andover, MN; 12 great-grandchildren: Lincoln, triplets Keeley, Reid, and McKinley Holcomb, Mara and Vivenna Johnson, Katia and Scarlett Khalaf, Cyrus, Clyde, and Colby Allen, and Calvin Loehlein.

He was preceded in death by his wife Marjorie, sister Marjorie Johnson, brothers Norman Johnson, and Robert Johnson, and great grandson Neville Nicholas Loehlein.

Memorial services will be held 11:00 a.m. August 16, 2024, at the LeGrand Friends Church with Pastor Allen Mullikin officiating. Visitation one hour prior. Interment will be in the LeGrand Friends Cemetery. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is assisting Maynard’s family.

- lovingly written by the family