Joel Karnick
A memorial mass will be held at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, March 23, 2024 at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Rib Lake with Fr. Julian Druffner officiating. Burial services will be performed at a later date for the immediate family.
Visitation will be from 8:30 a.m. until the time of service at 11:30 a.m. at the church.
Dennis was born on June 29, 1939 in Chicago, IL to Harold and Evelyn (Holm) Johnson. He grew up in Ogema, WI and graduated from Prentice High School in 1957.
On June 3, 1961, he married the love of his life, Marian McGuire. Shortly after the wedding, the young newlyweds moved to Marquette, MI where Dennis found employment at the Gambles department store.
In 1966, Dennis moved his young family to Medford, WI where he began his self-employment as a door-to-door distributor for Morning Glory Dairy. In 1972, they built their home in Rib Lake, WI where Dennis’ employment at Morning Glory would wind down, leading him to purchase the local root beer stand, “DJ’s Drive In” which they operated for several years.
During this time, Dennis also drove truck for Dick Thums Trucking and Tombstone Pizza before eventually becoming a supervisor at Weather Shield until his retirement. Following retirement, he worked a few years at Great Northern Cabinetry before becoming a Walmart Greeter in Medford. He loved his greeter role where he reconnected with many old friends and made new friends along the way.
A man strong in his catholic faith, he was a member of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Rib Lake.
Over the years, Dennis played bass guitar and sang for several local bands. He heard many times how much he looked like Conway Twitty! He also enjoyed bowling, fishing and baseball, both coaching little league and playing the sport…and he was a great pitcher in his younger days. He also served as a volunteer firefighter for Rib Lake and was a talented woodworker. He made many furniture pieces and kitchen cabinets for family and friends. He even made cribs for all of his grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marian of Medford; four children, Dennis (Duffy) Johnson of Green Bay, Karen (Mike) Kammerzelt of Waukesha, David Johnson of Burlington, Daniel (Christina) Johnson of Rib Lake; a brother, Galen Johnson; two sisters-in-law, Kathy Heglund and Lorraine Rohleder; eight grandchildren, Brooke, Sam (Olivia), Shea, Colin (Brianna) Nicki, Riley, Xavier and Will; great-grandchildren, Payton and Lincoln; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; in-laws, Ray and Darlene McGuire; a sister-in-law, Marie Johnson; and brothers-in-law, Kenneth McGuire, Wayne Heglund, John Bruder and Bill Rohleder.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude and appreciation to Bruce Sperl and the staff of the Cardiac ICU at Aspirus Hospital in Wausau for the excellent care, compassion and kindness given to Dennis in his final days.
Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford is serving the family.
