David L. Johnson

David Lee Johnson, Born July 7, 1938. Those who knew and loved him, knows he loved to tell a good story. Stories of his past adventures. His memories of the world. To celebrate those memories, we shall tell a story. A story of a great mans’ final farewell.

David was also known as “Captain,” as he would navigate a monster vessel though a spider’s web of tight, restricted areas of the Great Lakes. It was a 638 foot long, straight deck bulk carrier, known as the Kinsman Independent. He took this ship on its last trip from Wisconsin to Buffalo with 600,000 bushels of grain in 2002. It was shortly after this that he had decided to retire full-time, with his wife, in Port Wing, Wisconsin.

As love stories go, it was cupids’ arrow that struck one day in 1996 at the South Shore Tavern. Joyce was coming back from her son’s wedding and had decided to stop and have a celebratory drink. Little did she know, her life would soon be complete with the man of her dreams. They married in Laughlin Nevada in 2000. It was then they both discovered their love of travel. Their favorite yearly trip was to Las Vegas via car, as they loved to ‘stop and smell the roses’ along the way. David had shared many memories from The Hotel California (Hotel Cal). He and Joyce would sip coffee and watch people put hundreds of dollars into machines. They would watch from afar, sometimes hiding behind the plants to get a glimpse. They would sip coffee for hours, at times, waiting for those people to throw in the towel. This would be their opportunity to strike. And strike they did…Those stories told of them coming back ‘ahead’ were in fact true.

David was a patient man, never in a hurry. Life went by fast enough and he didn’t want to help it along. He loved when they had visitors. Offering them coffee, conversation, and homemade apple pie. It was even better when they would challenge him to a game of cribbage.

This all came to an abrupt halt on Monday, August 14th. He sat on the side of the bed and told Joyce that this time he wasn’t going to make it. While they waited for the ambulance, they expressed their love for each other one last time. Though he never woke up again, he stayed long enough for us to repeat back to him, his own past adventures. His own memories of the world. We gave this great man, who loved to tell stories, his final farewell. David took his last breath on Wednesday, August 16th, 2023.

We, as his family and friends, will miss this great man dearly. In his honor, stop to smell the roses. Never be in a hurry. And most importantly, love life to its fullest.

David will be laid to rest in Resthaven Cemetery, Cloverland Wisconsin.

The Lenroot-Maetzold Funeral Home, 1209 E. 5th Street in Superior, is assisting the family with arrangements. To leave a condolence or sign the guestbook, please visit www.lenroot-maetzold.com.