Edward Alan Johnson

Edward Alan Johnson, 79, of Boone and formerly of Ogden, Iowa, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012, at the Israel Family Hospice House in Ames.

A memorial service honoring his life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 15th at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 119 S.W. Second St in Ogden, Iowa. Rev. Gordon Lundberg will officiate.

Edward Alan Johnson, a lifelong resident of Boone County, Iowa passed from this life on September 7th, 2012. Born July 30, 1933 to Walter & Ruby Johnson of Ogden, Iowa, Alan attended Marcy township country school and graduated from Ogden high school in 1951. He was drafted into the army, trained in radio communication, and served a year and a half in Munich, Germany with the 47th Triple A Batallion during the Korean conflict. Returning to Iowa after his discharge from the military, he married Barbara Jean Schneider in September of l955 and began a career in farming. In 1963 Alan joined his father, Walter, in the Johnson Insurance Agency. Two years later he was elected Secretary of the Scandinavian Mutual Insurance Association of Dayton, Iowa. The Ogden agency eventually became known as Johnson & Sons Insurance and expanded to include offices in Ogden, Dayton and Boone. He maintained a dual career at Scandinavian Mutual and Johnson & Sons throughout his working life. Alan was named president of Scandinavian Mutual in 1987. He also served as president of the Mutual Insurance Association of Iowa in 1980 and was the Association's first recipient of the P.R.I.M.E Award (Personal Recognition Involving Mutual Endeavors) in 1993. Alan was elected to the IMT Insurance Company's Board of Directors and served in that position for twenty-six years. In 1992 he was elected Board Chairman of NAMIC (National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies). Other business interests included a partnership in Marshall Implement of Paton, Iowa during the 1970s.

Alan enjoyed many hobbies including woodworking, chip carving, and golfing. Summer weekends were spent hosting relatives and friends at the family cabin on Twin Lakes lovingly called "Abbekos". Alan enjoyed travel for both work and leisure and particularly enjoyed visiting relatives in Sweden on several occasions.

Alan was a long time and active member of the Ogden Lions Club and served on the Civil Service Board of Boone County for many years. Throughout his lifetime he was an active and devoted member of the Swede Valley and Immanuel Lutheran congregations. His service to the church began at an early age at Swede Valley..attending Sunday school, tending the coal fired furnace and ringing the steeple bell. He sang tenor in the choir for nearly seventy years, taught Sunday school classes, served several terms on the church council, and other numerous committees.

Alan was devoted to his family and enjoyed nothing more than spending time with them. He is survived by Jean, his wife of fifty-seven years; his three children, Phil (Christine) Johnson of Columbus, Ohio, Lynn (Brad) Nebergall of Denver, Colorado, and Anne (Eric) Blanchard of Chicago, Illinois; his seven grandchildren, Sam Johnson, Jake, Ben & Ali Nebergall, and Matt, Leigh and Anna Blanchard, and four siblings; Avenelle Olson, Raynold (Kay) Johnson, Myron (Shirley) Johnson, and Daryl (Carolyn) Johnson; sister-in-law & brother-in-law Pat and William Lindholm of Livonia, Michigan, and a host of cherished nieces and nephews. Alan was predeceased by a sister, Rosalie Miller and a brother, Marlin Johnson.

Alan's approach to life was exemplified by the words on a plaque originally belonging to his father and later placed prominently in Alan's office which read "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle".

In lieu of flowers, memorials received will be directed by the family to the Swede Valley Preservation Fund and the Israel Hospice House of Ames.

"Tack For Allt"
(Thanks for Everything)