Obituaries : Wayne Keith Johnson

Wayne Keith Johnson, 80 of Blairstown died on Monday, June 19, 2023 at Colonial Manor, Amana. Funeral Service: 10:30 a.m., Tuesday at Grace Lutheran Church, Blairstown by Pastor Jeff Schanbacher. Friends may visit with the family on Monday at the church from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Tuesday after 9:30 a.m. Burial will be held at a later date at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Blairstown. Van Steenhuyse Teahen Funeral Home is serving the family.

Wayne is survived by his wife of 60 years, Carol; son Bryan (Annette) Johnson of Blairstown; two daughters Lori (Marlon) Blaha of Solon and Niki (Nate) Frese of Norway; nine grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; his brother Don Johnson of Blairstown; nephews Tim (Carrie) Johnson, Chad (Jessica) Johnson and their families.

Wayne was preceded in death by his son, Bradley Johnson; parents Kenneth and Florence Johnson; grandparents Elias and Gertrude Risdal Johnson and Henry and Martha Rieck Schultz.

Wayne was born on August 3, 1942 in Cedar Rapids the son of Kenneth and Florence Schultz Johnson. He graduated from Blairstown High School in 1960. Wayne married Carol Scheetz on September 1, 1963 at Grace Lutheran Church, Blairstown. Wayne was a proud veteran serving in the United States Army from 1960 to 1968 during the Vietnam War Era. He started his career at Nissen Trampoline, after a few short years he moved to Collins Radio where he worked in the procurement quality assurance department and later retired after 40+ years. During that time at Collins he spent many years traveling worldwide and enjoyed the dining out experiences of the cultures he visited.

Wayne was a pitcher for many fast pitch softball leagues in the eastern Iowa area for over 30 years. He played on teams such as Blairstown, Superior Motors, CR Merchants, Mr. Perfect, Vigortone, Collins Radio and many more. His love of the game returned when he was 50 years old and started to pitch again. Wayne never missed an opportunity to talk about softball and was always sharing tips with young pitchers.

Wayne was very proud of all of his grandchildren and enjoyed attending their many activities throughout the years. Wayne and his son Bryan, had a love of classic cars, motorcycles, vintage open wheel race cars and spent time enjoying these hobbies together. Over the years, Wayne's favorites included his 1957 Chevy, 1987 Buick Grand National and a1970 Trostle Midget race car. He enjoyed drag racing his 1957 Chevy at Cordova and other tracks across Iowa in his early years as well the Trostle midget at many dirt tracks across the Midwest in the later years.

Wayne was a true "gearhead" and because of that we welcome and encourage everyone to drive your Classic Car, Street Rod or Motorcycle to the visitation and/or funeral.

Wayne's family would like to thank the staff of St. Luke's 1 West & 5th Floor Neurology, Garnett Place, Colonial Manor, Amana and Essence of Life Hospice for all the kind and compassionate care shown to him.