Obituary of Marian Johnson

Marian Johnson died peacefully November 15, 2008, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She died following a stroke that ended her long battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 91 years old. Marian was born Ethel Marian Wallin to Chester and Marie Wallin in a farmhouse east of Cambridge on January 3, 1917. The oldest of three children, she was raised on the farm and attended one-room schools until she entered Cambridge High School, where she graduated in 1934. She attended a one-year teacher training program and then taught in local country schools until 1940. On June 18, 1940 she married Orville Johnson of Harris, Minnesota, who had just graduated from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Together they served as pastor and pastor's wife in four congregations: the Baptist Church in Ogema, Wisconsin, 1940-1943; Salem Baptist Church in Ashland, Wisconsin, 1943-1948; First Baptist Church in Kiron, Iowa, 1948-1954; and First Baptist Church in Chisholm, Minnesota, 1954-1961. Marian and Orville had four children: David, Paul, Karen and Laura. They built a cabin at Lake Vermilion in 1953, where family and friends continue to create warm memories to this day. In 1961, Marian and Orville were called to head Grandview Christian Ministries (Now GracePointe Crossing West) when it was just an idea and 16 acres of land on the western edge of Cambridge. In preparation for her responsibilities there, Marian worked at Cambridge Memorial Hospital, trained in the licensed practical nurse program there, and passed her State of Minnesota LPN exam in 1963. She worked at Grandview from its opening in 1963 until she fully retired in 1989. Marian was a member of First Baptist Church in Cambridge for many years. She was a legendary hostess of countless coffees and dinner parties, a master baker, an enthusiastic blueberry picker, tireless gardener and rug-weaver, and a devoted Bible reader. Her commitment to prayer was unfailing. Marian inspired legions with her spirit of good cheer and her overflowing love for all she met. The love of Christ was evident in her smiles, and she lived and died secure in faith and confidence in God's plans for eternal life with him. Marian was preceded in death by her parents, Chester Wallin and Marie Wallin Brown; her husband, Orville; her brother Robert; and her sister Frances. She is survived by her son David Johnson and his wife Jennifer of Ketchikan, Alaska and grandchildren Jenna Johnson-Hanks (& husband Bill and great-grandson Benjamin), Elizabeth Kuhn-Wilken (& husband Oliver), Lindsay Johnson and Rachel Johnson; by her son Paul Johnson and his wife Janet of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and grandchildren Stephanie Van Duzer (& husband Scott), Joshua Carlisle and Jessica Carlisle; by her daughter Karen Hustad and her husband Stan of Tucson, Arizona, and grandchildren Amy Hustad (& husband Mark Kurtz) and Megan Hustad; by her daughter Laura McKnight and her husband David of Roseville, Minnesota, and grandchild Meredith; by "adopted" son Arbuc Flomo and his wife Deanne of Minneapolis and their children Aaron, Nequaleh, Gabriel and Nathan; by brother-in-law Don Kramer of Hinckley, Minnesota; by sister-in-law Lillian Rendahl and her husband Stan of St. Paul, Minnesota; and by numerous other relatives and friends. Marian's family offers boundless thanks to the outstanding staff at GracePointe Crossing West for their loving care and support.