John Frederick Johnson

John Frederick Johnson, 72, of Newton died on Friday, January 16, 2026, at his home.  A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 20, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory.  The family will greet friends after the service at the funeral home.  Memorials in John’s name may be left at the funeral home (checks made payable to Pam Johnson).

John, the son of William John and Helen C. (Mellick) Johnson, was born on November 9, 1953, in Ottumwa.  He grew up in Ottumwa and graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1972.  John then received his degree from Ottumwa Heights College. During high school, John began his 50+ year career with the Hy-Vee Corporation.  He started in the Ottumwa store and then was transferred to Newton. While in Newton he met a co-worker, Pam Ferguson.  Following a promotion, John transferred to the Centerville store and Pam moved as well. They were married while in Centerville on June 2, 1990.  In 1993, John and Pam would move back to Newton so John could work at the Grinnell Hy-Vee. Through Hy-Vee, he became involved with Grinnell Dollars for Scholars.  During his long career he held many managerial positions before retirement.

John had a lifelong love of fast cars and jeeps.  Even when he was young, he was very thoughtful and would give the best gifts to family and friends.  In his 20’s, John volunteered to use his jeep to take doctors and nurses to the hospital for their shifts when the roads were bad. He probably had a little fun hitting those snow drifts along the way as well. John also enjoyed golfing, reading, and using his camera.  He loved music and had an extensive LP record collection. John’s greatest joy was his children.

John is survived by his wife, Pam Johnson of Newton; children, Anna Johnson and Alex Johnson, both of Newton; his siblings, Don Johnson, William (Zirong) Johnson, Mary Ann Mullins, and Helen (Stephen) Baumel; his step-sister, Debbie Truitt; and several nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents; step-mother, Margaret Pettit Johnson; a step-brother, Dennis Pettit; and a niece.

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