Dorothea Marie (Christiansen) Johnson, 89, of McFarland Wisconsin and more recently Cedar Rapids Iowa, passed peacefully on Feb 10, 2023, following a brief period of declining health.
Dorothea was born in 1933 to George Daniel Christiansen and Agnes Marie (Norem) Christiansen in St. Paul Minnesota where she grew up in a loving, creative, family-centered home. Dorothea loved to work in the yard and gardens that her father had established and would comment that the smile on his face when he came home from work was all the reward she needed. Dorothea loved the tropical fish her father raised in aquariums that he had constructed. Her mother was a wonderful cook and instilled that love within Dorothea, as well as imparting her culinary knowledge and skills. Family time was a priority.
Dorothea enjoyed history, geography, and especially art in school. The activity she enjoyed most through junior high and high school was Luther League. It was at a Luther League convention in Colorado Springs following her graduation where Dorothea was introduced to a young man from Kansas who would eventually introduce Dorothea to Donald (Don) Johnson, the man she would marry and make a life with for 63 years.
Following more than a year of correspondence, Dorothea took the train from St. Paul to Seattle to visit Don where he was attending graduate school and where they became engaged. They were married in August of 1953. Don had joined the Air Force and was assigned to the Weather Corps in Europe. Dorothea joined Don in Germany in early 1954. Dorothea and Don embraced travel and other opportunities available to them during the 3-year assignment overseas.
Following a state-side assignment at Tinker Airforce Base in Oklahoma, the family relocated to Madison where Don pursued graduate degrees in meteorology at the University of Wisconsin. Then, moving to “the country” while the three children were young, Dorothea and Don began the process of rejuvenating a 100+ year-old farmhouse and turning the place into a hobby farm with a large garden, numerous pets, and eventually horses. There was an apple orchard along with numerous other fruit trees. Dorothea took up canning and, along with various jams and jellies, “put up” untold quantities of apple sauce and produce from the garden. Much family time was spent on the front screen porch during the warmer months, just as Dorothea had spent with her parents in her youth. Dorothea loved watching the butterflies and the occasional hummingbird come to her flower beds, and there were always fresh flowers from her gardens on the screen porch table where many meals were enjoyed.
Dorothea loved to travel and did so extensively through much of her life. Earlier on, that love of travel was cultivated within her children as they grew. Family trips to Kansas to visit grandparents and extended family were especially looked forward to. Later, Dorothea would frequently accompany Don when traveling to domestic and international scientific meetings.
Dorothea loved art and was a prolific artist. She largely focused on oil painting and print making with favorite subjects including rugged natural landscapes, cottage gardens, and other floral displays. Dorothea also loved dancing, especially to live music. She and Don enjoyed dancing for over 25 years, following their favorite bands to local venues for these special nights out.
Over time, Dorothea and Don transitioned from Madison to Cedar Rapids – spending increasing amounts of time living with daughter Christine and her family, and where there was another screen porch for enjoying pleasant weather and spending time together. Many gatherings celebrating birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries as well as the occasional art project were hosted there.
Ultimately Dorothea forged a warm, fun, loving, creative home and life mirroring that of her parents – and at every turn sought to teach her children to do the same. She always shared her smile with everyone. She and her smile will be deeply missed.
Dorothea is preceded in death by husband Don, her parents, and sister Vivian Mansfield. She is survived by son Mark, grandchildren Michael and Sarah, and great-grandchildren Barrett and Mabel; son Bryan (wife Sheryl) and grandchildren Neil, Bridget, and Kevin; and daughter Christine (husband Dan) and grandchildren Katherine and Nichole.
A funeral service will be held at 1:30 PM, Saturday, March 18, at Andover Lutheran Church, rural Windom, KS. The family will receive friends from 12:30 PM until service time Saturday, March 18, at the church. Burial will follow the service at Andover Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, April 1, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Cedar Rapids, IA.
Memorials may be given to Lutheran World Relief in care of Stockham Family Funeral Home, 205 North Chestnut, McPherson, KS 67460.
Personal condolences may be sent to the family at www.stockhamfamily.com.