Marcella Johnson
Marcella M. Johnson, 92, of Waukon died Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Saturday, August 29 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon.
Condolences for the family can be sent to Monica Roderick at 314 Fifth Avenue NW, Waukon, IA 52172. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to St. Patrick Catholic Church, St. Patrick’s School, Winneshiek Hospice, or to the family. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.
Born October 31, 1927 in West Ridge, rural Waukon, Marcella Mae Johnson was the youngest of 12 children of Michael and Julia (Duffy) Mellick. She was baptized at St. John the Baptist Church, West Ridge, and later was a lifetime member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon.
From a young age, Marcella lived with her sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Daniel Ryan, due to her own mother’s ill health. She worked to pay her way through high school and in 1946, graduated from St. Patrick’s High School in Waukon, the only one of her family to do so. She also attended nurse’s training at St. Francis Hospital in La Crosse, WI before moving to Dubuque to work at the Baby Fold.
Marcella took on the care of her nephews, Daniel (D.M.) and Dale Ryan, after her sister Mary’s death in 1953. November 26 of that same year, she and Milbourn “Mel” Johnson were married at the St. Patrick’s Rectory in Waukon, a marriage that lasted 62 years until his death December 14, 2015. In 1954, they moved to the farm they purchased on Silver Creek, where they lived and farmed until they moved into Waukon in 1999. She made the move to Northgate Care Center in February 2012 and it was there where she passed away peacefully with her family by her side.
On the farm, Marcella had a large garden, raised chickens and sold eggs. She was an excellent baker and many days the smell of freshly baked goods greeted her children as they got off the school bus. The mail carrier and many others were also the recipients of baked goods and the grandchildren knew Grandma would always have homemade cookies at her house. The grandkids also knew to check the freezer for ice cream treats and that they could always count on Grandma to have Chicklets gum in her purse just for them.
Away from the farm, she worked various part-time jobs in bookkeeping and waitressing. Many knew her from the sale barn lunch stands and the 66 Café. She always said a smile was the best gift you could give people and she was generous with those smiles throughout her working life.
In her spare time, she enjoyed reading and made the library a weekly stop. She volunteered at St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store. She liked to watch her “stories” on television and go out to eat, either with Mel or with her group of friends who got together for lunch. In her younger years, she enjoyed dancing and hearing live music, especially the Toe Tappers. She was proud of her Irish heritage and loved celebrating on St. Patrick’s Day, as well as having a wee bit of Irish Cream each day before bedtime at Northgate. Marcella even made a trip to Ireland and made lots of new friends in her travels through the country.
Marcella will be most remembered for her bubbly presence and for the many greeting cards she sent that conveyed that presence to family and friends for birthdays, Christmas and special occasions.
Marcella is survived by her children: Melodye (Richard) Protsman, Maynard Johnson, Monica Roderick, and twins Marlene (Ed) Ahouse and Maxine (Jeff) Koepp; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren. At her passing, she was reunited with her husband, Milbourn; her parents; her siblings: Mary (Daniel) Ryan, Leo (Lillian) Mellick, Francis (Margaret) Mellick, Margaret (Clem) Howes, Loretta (Francis) Collins, Donald Mellick, Leonard (Norma) Mellick, Rosella (Arthur) Nierling, Regina (Edward) Mahoney, Rita (Howard) Nierling and Pearl (Joseph) Weber; and her brother-in-law, Joseph Bakken.
Casketbearers were Maynard Johnson, Colin Protsman, Grant Protsman, Brandon Roderick, Amanda Winter, Taji Anderson and Keegan Ahouse. Honorary casketbearers were the rest of Marcella’s grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
Condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
