Alice Johnson

Alice Johnson, 102, formerly of Waukon, IA, died on Sunday, June 5, 2022, at Kavanaugh House in Des Moines, IA. Funeral services will be held Friday, June 10th, at 11:00 AM at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waukon, IA, with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating and burial at the church cemetery. Friends may greet the family from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM on Thursday at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church.

Alice Beatrice Olvina Ford Johnson was born on February 6, 1920, on the rural Waukon, IA, farm of her parents Andrew and Minnie (Vangen) Ford. When she was young, her family spoke a lot of Norwegian around the house and Alice remained proud of that heritage all her life. She was baptized at the Pontoppidan Lutheran Church. Alice and her family moved into Waukon when she was quite young, where she attended Waukon schools. On January 17, 1937, Alice married Marlin H. Johnson in Waukon. They moved to Burlington, IA, shortly after the United States entered WWII. She worked in the Burlington Arsenal, where they made bombs. Following the war, Alice and Marlin moved back to Waukon and farmed on the original Johnson family farm near Waterville, IA. They raised a dairy herd, grain, and other livestock. Alice was active on the farm, but also oversaw the homemaking tasks; she grew a big garden, did a lot of canning, and was an excellent cook and seamstress.

Alice was a long-time member of Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church and its ladies organizations. She and Marlin were also members of the former Golden Oldies Snowmobiling Club. She loved animals of all kinds and had a number of dogs through the years. In August of 2018, Alice moved from Waukon to West Des Moines, IA, to live fulltime with her daughter Pat and husband Dana.

She is survived by her daughter Patricia Ann (Dana) Burden of West Des Moines, IA; former daughter-in-law Bonnie (Paul) Curry of Bay City, WI; one granddaughter Lori Welt; grandson-in-law Tom O'Dell; seven great-grandchildren; 18 great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents; husband Marlin in 1981; her son Clarke; former son-in-law Robert E.N. Gray, Sr.; two grandsons: Randy Johnson and Robert E.N. Gray, Jr.; one granddaughter Debbie O'Dell; grandson-in-law Mike Welt; and her four siblings: Edward (Helen) Ford, Harry (Deve) Ford, Earl (Jo) Ford, and Agnes (Nord) Thompson.