Mark A. Johnson

Mark A. Johnson, age 58, resident of Devils Lake, ND, formerly of Tolna, ND, died Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at his home in Devils Lake.

Mark Alan Johnson was born February 9, 1958 in McVille, ND, the son of Harold and Delorice (Olson) Johnson. He was raised on his parent’s farm north of Tolna and graduated from Tolna High School in 1976. Mark married Lori Frederick on November 27, 1976. The couple lived in Fargo, where Mark worked for Peterbilt and Dahlgren Seeds. They moved to Mapleton in 1982. In 1989 they moved to Salida, CO where they lived for a few years. Mark & Lori then moved back to Tolna and eventually moved to the family farm, which Mark operated for some time and also drove school bus and worked at Farmer’s Union. In 2009 they made their home in Devils Lake, where Mark worked at several businesses, including North Central Granite, Lake Region Grain, LaBarre Farms at Webster, and Grand Forks Housing until his health forced him to retire.

Mark loved music and was a talented singer and guitarist. He also loved motorcycles. His greatest love was sports, especially baseball. He was known as one of the best pitchers in North Dakota during his junior high and high school years. He was very close to his entire family and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them. Mark was very involved with the youth of the Dakota Prairie School. He was a mentor to them in many activities by coaching T-ball, junior high football, golf, and girls volleyball.

Mark will be deeply missed by his loving wife, Lori; 3 children, MacKenzie (Andy Knudson) Johnson of Grand Forks, ND, Brittany Johnson of Las Vegas, NV, and Tanner Johnson of Devils Lake; 4 grandchildren, Madison Johnson of Underwood, MN, and Everett, Caroline & Adele Knudson, all of Grand Forks; 2 brothers, Keith Johnson of Mandan, ND and Scott (Theresa) Johnson of Tolna; sister-in-law, Peggy Johnson of McVille, ND; 2 aunts, Bernice (Lee) Brotherton of St. Paul, MN and Lois Weed of Devils Lake; 1 uncle, Willard Olson of McVille; former daughter-in-law, Robyn Johnson of Underwood, MN; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Steve Johnson.

A celebration of Mark’s life will be held at the Tolna Business and Event Center on Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.