Mary Anne Kathleen Johnson

Mary Anne Kathleen O’Brien Johnson, 87, of Fort Dodge, passed away on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at the Marian Home surrounded by her family.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Monday, September 16th at Holy Trinity Catholic Church with Msgr. Kevin McCoy officiating. Burial will follow at Corpus Christi Cemetery. There will be a visitation on Sunday, September 15th from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Laufersweiler Funeral Home, with the Legion of Mary Rosary at 3:45 PM.

Mary Anne is survived by her children: Annette (the late Peter Townley) of Omaha, NE; Angela (Matt Doyle) of Fort Dodge; Joyce (David Bianchi) of Fort Dodge; Janet (Tom Peterson) of Algonquin, IL; Kathleen (David Divoky) of Bellevue, NE; Carol (Dan Selner) of Denver, CO; and Michael (Amy) of Fort Dodge; 23 grandchildren; and 29 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lee in 2019; parents, Florence and Clement O’Brien; brothers, Walter and Patrick O’Brien; sisters, Jeanne Strouts and Nancy Bolkcom; and son-in-law, Dr. Peter Townley.

Mary Anne Kathleen O’Brien was born on August 19, 1937, in Grafton, ND, and grew up in Minneapolis, MN. There, she attended the Academy of the Holy Angels High School and the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul.

Mary Anne married Lee Fitzgerald Johnson on June 7, 1958, in Richfield, MN. They lived in Hutchinson, KS, Kansas City, KS, Kansas City, MO, and later Carroll, IA. In 1970 the couple established their home in Fort Dodge. Mary Anne helped to form the Webster County Right to Life and was very active in the diocesan Cursillo movement for many years. Mary Anne worked at Mercy Hospital as a night receptionist and then at Holy Rosary Elementary School as a secretary/librarian for 20 years. She was also employed as a secretary at Holy Rosary Parish, Director of Religious Education, and Coordinator of RCIA and the Couple to Couple Pre-Cana Program. She served on the Bishop’s Advisory Council and was an advocate on the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal. Mary Anne also served on the St. Edmond School Board and as co-chair with Lee on the Friends of St. Edmond Ball.

Mary Anne enjoyed travelling, bridge and book clubs and knitting, and was proud of her Irish heritage. She was, above all, a woman of faith. Her greatest joys were her husband, children and grandchildren. Mary Anne will be deeply missed.

The family would like to thank the Marian Home and Hospice for the loving care of Mary Anne.

Memorials may be left in Mary Anne’s memory to the Marian Home and UnityPoint Hospice.