Donald W. Johnson 07/02/2025

Donald William Johnson was born February 28, 1946 and at 79 yrs old, left this earth July 2, 2025.  He is now with the Lord Jesus!  Don was of Native American heritage (Makah) and was born and raised on the Makah Indian Reservation in Neah Bay on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.  The youngest of 4 children, he had 2 older brothers, Ben and Leonard, and an older sister Yvonne.  All are deceased.  Life was difficult on the reservation and his parents divorced when Don was a young child.   Both parents eventually remarried and his father had 3 more children:  Benita (deceased) and Mark and Paul, who reside in Neah Bay.

At the age of 14 he  moved to Tacoma with his mother and step-father and Don faced new adversity living in a totally different environment.  Being shy and introverted compounded Don’s ability to fit in.  But in 1962 his life changed forever.  He attended a Billy Graham meeting at the Seattle World’s Fair and received the Lord Jesus as his Savior.  He graduated from high school, then college and onto seminary, where he was ordained in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  He was sent to go back to Neah Bay and begin a ministry there.  But between seminary and going back to Neah Bay he met Mary Penny at a Bible book store and it was love at first sight!   They were married a year later.  They settled in Neah Bay and Don began Bible studies and eventually Makah Lutheran Church was established.

Much ministry happened through the church, but Don also saw the needs in the community, both in the school and on the reservation.  He soon was running for school board and served for 10 years.  During his time there it won “School Board of the Year” in Washington state for progress it made under Don’s leadership.  He also ran for the tribal council to address the needs in the community and served in this capacity for a number of years.

During all this time he and Mary were raising their first two kids, David and Rachel.  In the mix of all this Don found time to do some salmon fishing…which he loved! His other pastime was watching his favorite teams – the Seahawks and the Sonics on TV.   He also enjoyed playing basketball and trips to the beach with the kids which provided a respite from all his duties.

In 1993 Don felt God calling him to further his education and get his doctorate which necessitated moving to the Midwest.  So he and his family moved and settled in Minnesota.  Shortly after, Christopher, their youngest son was born.

To support his family while working on his doctorate, he was hired as a mission representative for a ministry that served Native Americans.  One year later the founder retired and appointed Don as the new executive director.  He served with them for 20 years.  He began writing and published his first book  “Broken Parts, Missing Pieces” an autobiography, available through Barnes and Noble.  Recently a second book was published “A Native American’s Message for America” which is on Amazon.

Don’s adult life was all about service and developing self-determination amongst Native Americans.  His life was characterized by resiliency, courage, vision, love and compassion, service and leadership.  He made a difference in many people’s lives!

A memorial service for Don will be held on Thursday, August 14, 2025 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in New Richmond, Wisconsin.  Visitation begins at 10:00 AM, the service at 11:00, followed by a luncheon.  A live-stream of the service will be held and if interested contact Bakken-Young for link. 

Local arrangements are with Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services