Wayne C Johnson

Wayne C. Johnson, 92, of Sioux City, died Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City.
Services will be 10 a.m. Thursday at Morningside Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Tom LoVan officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation with family present will be 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, with a Masonic service at 7 p.m., at Morningside Chapel Christy-Smith Funeral Homes. Condolences may be made at www.christysmith.com .
Wayne was born March 11, 1924, in Sioux City to Roy H. and Florence (Youngren) Johnson. He grew up in Morningside and graduated from East High School in 1941. He attended Iowa State College for a year before being drafted into the Army Air Corps in 1942 to serve during World War II. He served as flight navigator and a radar ops bombardier with the 3539th AAF Base Unit at Langley Field, Va. Wayne was honorably discharged as a second lieutenant in November 1945.
He married Dorothy L. Molskow on May 15, 1945. The couple raised four children - Diane, Doug, Don and Denny. After Dorothy's death, Wayne married Betty Jean Lund in 1979.
Wayne was a home builder, building more than 400 homes in Siouxland. He loved working, right up to the day before his death.
He was a lifelong member of First Covenant Church, having served as a deacon and chairman of the trustees. After the church closed, Wayne and Betty became members at Morningside Lutheran Church. Wayne was a member of Landmark Lodge 103 A.F. and A.M., Sioux City Scottish Rite Valley, and Abu Bekr Shrine where he was a member of the foot patrol and vintage wheels.
In 1937, after winning the Sioux City Soap Box Derby, Wayne represented Sioux City in Akron, Ohio, at the National Soap Box Derby. Seventy-one years later, in 2008, Wayne had the opportunity to build a replica of his first soap box car with his son and was invited to race one more time in Akron. Wayne and his sons made the trip together and had a great time.
Wayne loved his family, friends and life.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Jean; eight children, Doug (Karen) Johnson, Denny (Kris) Johnson, Diane Mead, Cheri (Mike) Donovan, Kathi (Mike) Murphy, Laurie (Jeff) Thompson, Gary (Peggy) Lund and Eric Lund; 25 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothy; a son, Don; his parents; a granddaughter, Stacie; and two brothers, Dick and Dan.