Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson, 63, of Atlantic, Iowa, died Thursday, September 3, 2020, at Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines.

Mark Alan Johnson was born on October 30, 1956, in Creighton, Nebraska, the son of Kenneth Arland and Charlene Ann (Moore) Johnson. As a kid Mark was a little mischievous and schemed up ways to get his younger brothers in trouble. It was obvious at an early age that his intellectual level was beyond his years and was one who could soak up new knowledge quickly in addition to retaining what he had previously learned. At the age of 14, he won a Citizenship Award for his intelligence and character which in turn led to him receiving a scholarship at Lake Forest Academy Boarding School in Chicago, IL. He attended there starting his sophomore year in high school and graduated in the Class of 1973.

Following graduation, he received a full scholarship to Grinnell College where he majored in Russian and Political Science; graduating with his bachelor’s degree in those fields. While in college he hosted an early morning radio show for the local station. His goal after graduation was to be a Russian Interpreter, but chose instead to settle in Walnut, Iowa where he worked at a local restaurant. He later took a job at the Danish Inn in Elk Horn and little did Mark know his cooking creations as a child would lead him on a new career path that he grew to love and took great pride in. He later accepted a Chef position at The Green Lake Resort in Green Lake, Wisconsin as their Manager of Catering; giving him a chance to share his skills on a larger scale. While there he met his future wife, Sandy, and the couple married in 1985, and moved to Florida for two years where he was a Chef at a local Christian school. They later returned to Green Lake, Wisconsin to continue working at the resort.

In the early 1990’s Mark moved to Atlantic, and started plans to open up his own restaurant, The Farmer’s Kitchen. In 1992, the restaurant opened its doors and continued to prosper the next 12 years. From awards for his creations, hosting politicians to being featured in many food publications; Mark’s dedication to his work was evident. He was never one to use a recipe; why not create your own? He would add a little of this and a little of that until it was just right; this level of perfection in the kitchen led to many free meals for the employees as they tried his newest dish. He loved the instant gratification he was able to see in the food he served to his customers. Mark’s chili recipe won numerous awards throughout not only Iowa, but also the world. He entered chili contests coast to coast and won the World People Choice Chili Award. His other specialties included his homemade gravy, that was so tasty people started putting it over everything, his tenderloin which received an award from the Iowa Pork Association, and his Cy-Hawk Burger that won a contest on WHO-TV. Mark & Farmer’s Kitchen were highlighted in Michael Stern’s various food books. One was “500 Things To Eat Before You Die”. In 1995, Mark began having health issues and started receiving dialysis. He was determined to keep his dream going and did everything he could to make that happen. He would make the assignments for his workers early in the morning, jump in the car for Des Moines to receive dialysis, and back by lunchtime to serve his loyal customers. In Christmas of 2012, the Farmer’s Kitchen, with great sadness, closed its doors after serving customers from the area and around the world for over 12 years. The closing left Mark with an enormous void in his purpose for life not knowing how he could still serve others. Even after the restaurant closed that didn’t mean people stopped talking about the delicious food that was served and was recently featured in an article by the Food Critic, Cliff Strutz.

It wasn’t long before Mark discovered a new passion; he began advocating for himself and others with kidney issues. Mark attended numerous meetings and met with senators and representatives, really anyone he could that would listen, at different times sharing his views on how to better help those in renal failure. A few of his main focuses in conversation were issues regarding individuals with his condition obtaining life insurance due to preexisting conditions and working with Medicare on benefits.

Mark was an avid reader and a member of the Atlantic Public Library Board. He had a good sense of humor even through his trials; this also giving him an appreciation for others and their struggles. He was an Iowa Hawkeye fan through and through and never hesitated to heckle the Iowa State fans.

In 2017, he was baptized and welcomed Jesus Christ into his life at the First Church of Christ in Atlantic; this acceptance brought a new-found joy to him. He was a greeter and helped at the church whenever it was needed. Mark became active in the various children’s programs, including vacation bible school. It was probably a toss-up on who had more fun, Mark or the kids, he loved working with them to grow their faith.

Mark is survived by his mother, Charlene; siblings, Elizabeth Miller, Arden (Carol) Johnson, Nathan Johnson, and Sara Johnson; nieces and nephews; and great-nephew, George Johnson.

He is preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Johnson; brother, Christopher; and grandparents, Raymond and Myrtle Johnson and Art and Bessie Rohwer.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 31st at the First Church of Christ in Atlantic. The family has requested that masks be worn.

The family would like to thank everyone at the First Church of Christ in Atlantic for their examples of sincere love, and for the care and support given to Mark by the staff of the DeVita Clinic.

Roland Funeral Home is caring for Mark's family and his arrangements. Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.