Donald Ray Johnson, 86, of Cherokee passed away on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at Accura Healthcare in Cherokee.
Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, May 16, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee. Burial will be in Grandview Cemetery at Quimby. Military rites will be performed by L.A. Wescott Post #2253 and the Cherokee American Legion. Visitation with the family present will begin at the church at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Boothby Funeral Home of Cherokee is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com.
Donald was born on Oct. 4, 1939, to John Harrell and Gladys (McCoy) Johnson at Quimby. He graduated from Quimby High School in 1958. He attended Wayne State College in Nebraska. He served in the United States Navy for four years as a nuclear missile technician. He was in the National Guard from 1977-1979 and was a United States Army recruiter.
He was united in marriage to Martha Lytton on June 13, 1963. He worked for Mallory's Drug Store in Cherokee, Allis Chalmers in Cedar Rapids doing circuit analysis work, LeFebure Corp. Bank Alarms in Cedar Rapids, Wilson Food's in Cherokee and Oklahoma, plant manager at Ashernut in North Carolina, and for Sathers Candy Company in Worthington, Minn. He retired in 2005.
He was a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee.
In his free time he enjoyed painting, genealogy, doing paperwork, going fishing, golfing and bowling.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two children, Anthony Johnson and Suzanne Johnson; and sister Paulette Moates.
Donald is survived by his wife Martha of Cherokee; sons: Ken (Sandy) Johnson of Cherokee; Tim (Cathy) Johnson of Mankato, Minn.; Steve (Deborah) Johnson of Mankato, Minn.; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren with one more on the way; many nieces, nephews and cousins.
