Kay Johnson

Maureen Kay (June) Johnson, age 83, passed away peacefully with her son and daughter-in-law by her side on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, at Halcyon House in Washington, Iowa.

The daughter of Maurice William and Ethel (Murray) June, Kay was born on June 11, 1942, in Burlington.

Kay and her family lived in New London until 1944 when Ethel and her daughters moved to Burlington. At the end of the war in 1945, Kay went to live with her maternal grandparents, Charles and Iva (Calhoun) Murray, who farmed north of Wapello.

Kay attended school in Grandview, from kindergarten through fourth grade. In 1952, following the death of her grandfather, Kay, her sister, her mother, and grandmother moved to Wapello. In 1954, Kay's mother, Ethel, married Merton Askren, who became the patriarch of the newly formed family.

A graduate of Wapello High School in 1960, Kay was active in marching and concert band, choir, and basketball.

On Dec. 14, 1960, Kay married Norman Johnson of Wapello in Iowa City.

Norman was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1962, and the couple spent two years at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY, where Kay worked as a waitress at the Hotel Thayer.

After the couple returned to Iowa in 1964, Kay attended Burlington Business College and then worked as a secretary at B.L. Robinson Electric Supply from 1965 until 1968. In September of 1968, Kay and Norman adopted their daughter, Gwen, and Kay gave birth to their son, Charles, in August of 1969.

In 1979, the family moved back to Wapello, and Kay worked as the bookkeeper at Tillman Motor Company, the local Ford dealership, for many years, and then as a cashier at Jack and Jill Grocery Store.

Kay enjoyed playing cards with her friends and watching her children's and grandchildren's sports and music activities. Kay and Norman enjoyed camping and taking their children on RAGBRAI five times in the 1980's. Kay and Norman loved to dance and would go dancing on the weekends whenever they had a chance.

More opportunities to dance came after retirement when Kay and Norman would winter in Mission, TX. They spent over 10 years traveling there to spend time with their new friends to escape the Iowa winters. Following Norman's death on May 24, 2016, Kay returned to Mission, TX, in the winters of 2017 and 2018 before health issues limited her ability to return.

Kay was a member of First Presbyterian Church and the Order of the Eastern Star, both in Wapello.

Kay is survived by her son, Charles (Lisa) Johnson of Kalona; her sister, Barbara Lancaster of Des Moines; grandchildren, Courtney (Alexander) Chandrea of Asbury, Iowa, and Cassidy Johnson of Truckee, California; step-grandchildren, Logan Wadsworth of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Lexy (Jaemin) Powell of Des Moines; great-grandchildren Maya, Pua, and Ronan Chandrea and step-great-granddaughter Elliana Powell; sisters-in-law Donna (Bill) Maddux and Opal (Dick) Taylor, both of Wapello; three cousins and many nieces and nephews.

Kay was preceded in death by her husband, Norman; her daughter, Gwen Johnson-Walker; her parents and stepfather; three brothers-in-law; a sister-in-law; two aunts; an uncle; and a cousin.

Visitation was Monday, Nov. 24, at the Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Wapello.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, at First Presbyterian Church in Wapello. Burial will be in the Wapello Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Washington County Hospice, Great River Hospice, or the Wapello Cemetery in memory of Kay.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.