Memorial
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Let us remember with thanksgiving what God has done through His servant Daniel.
Rev. Daniel Quill Johnson was given earthly life by His Creator on August 19, 1930, the child of Rolland Earl and Stella Rebecca (Quill) Johnson. On September 14, 1930, he received the gift of Holy Baptism and became a child of God at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church, Albert Lea, Minnesota from the hands of his grandfather, the Rev. C. J. Quill. On April 2, 1944, he publicly confessed his faith and was confirmed at Memorial Lutheran Church, Bremerton, Washington and received the precious gift of the Lord’s life-giving body and blood. On August 15, 1954, he received the gift of a beloved companion of 61 years in his spouse, LaVonne Doris Jordahl, at Our Savior’s Lutheran, Albert Lea, Minnesota, officiated by his uncle, the Rev. Grant C.J. Quill. He was blessed with the gift of 3 children, Rev. Lee Daniel (Nancy) Johnson, Kristine Rebecca (Rev. Daniel) Krueger, David Jonathan (Kim) Johnson, 10 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
God blessed Rev. Johnson’s life with many special people as he served God in his vocations as Pastor, husband and father. Even prior to his ordination, Vicar Daniel Johnson assisted in the founding of Trinity Lutheran Church, Richmond, British Columbia - Canada, which first began to meet in the Brighouse Clubhouse in 1953.
He attended Bethany college in Mankato, Minnesota and graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield Illinois in 1955. He was ordained at Our Savior Lutheran, Norwegian Synod, on June 12, 1955. Following graduation, he served as a Mission Pastor for the Norwegian Synod in Canoga Park, California. He founded and served Our Redeemer (currently LCMS) from 1955-1963. From September of 1963 through January of 1970, he served as a chaplain of the Lutheran Home (now Walnut Manor) in Anaheim, California. In 1970 he accepted a call to serve as institutional chaplain for the Sioux City area from the Iowa District West. He faithfully served in that position, also conducting weekly Radio sermons for the “Good Shepherd Hour,” until 1979.
Rev. Johnson accepted the call to be Pastor of St. Paul’s, LCMS in Sioux City, Iowa in 1979, where he served until August of 1982. In September of 1982, he resumed work as a Mission Pastor in Cedar Rapids at King of Kings LCMS, serving that congregation until his retirement in 1995. Following retirement, he served as Vacancy Pastor for St. Paul’s, Mt. Vernon and Zion of Hiawatha, Iowa. Rev. Johnson then became the Assistant to the Pastor with his son-in-law, Rev. Daniel Krueger, at Zion Hiawatha, Iowa from 1999 through 2011.
Throughout his career, Rev. Johnson served the Church in several other ways. In addition to hospital visitations and weekly radio addresses while serving as Chaplain in Sioux City, Rev. Johnson worked with the Lutheran Service Auxiliary, and the Lamplighters. These organizations were lay people who assisted in the ministry of visiting the sick and infirm, particularly in nursing homes. Chaplain Johnson was instrumental in organizing other Lamplighter groups to visit nursing homes in western Iowa.
Upon moving to Cedar Rapids, Rev. Johnson served as a Circuit Counselor for the Cedar Rapids Circuit. He was appointed to position of 2nd Vice President of the Iowa District East by Rev. Al Barry, then District President of Iowa District East, and was elected to the position in 1994 where he served until 1997. Rev. Johnson also was appointed by Synodical President, Al Berry, to the hymnal committee which produced the current Lutheran Service Book (LSB) used by most congregations of the LCMS.
Throughout his life, the Rev. Daniel Quill Johnson encouraged others to “Remember Jesus.” He was preceded in death by his parents and his dear wife LaVonne, who entered into heavenly glory on November 18, 2015. In his infinite wisdom and mercy, on November 18, 2023, the LORD, who (Ps 121:8) “will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore,” received Rev. Johnson into heavenly glory.
A memorial service remembering God’s gifts to and through Rev. Johnson will take place at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 6, 2024 at Zion Lutheran Church, Hiawatha, Iowa with a visitation beginning at 9:00 AM. Services will be conducted by the current Pastor, Rev. Kevin C. Zellers Jr., who was baptized as an infant by his Pastor, Rev. Daniel Quill Johnson. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. We give thanks to God our Father through Jesus Christ, our LORD, for the Rev. Daniel Quill Johnson and continue to encourage everyone to (2 Tim 2:8) “Remember Jesus.”