Steven Johnson

The life of Steven Mark Johnson, 69, of Cross Plains, came to a close on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, at UW Hospital after the sudden diagnosis of an advanced and very aggressive cancer.

Steve was born in Verona on March 18, 1953, to Earl and Ruth Johnson, the second of their 4 children and the only boy. He grew up in a house his father had built, where he enjoyed a happy childhood with his sisters and friends.

After graduating from Verona High School he endured a brief and ultimately unhappy marriage, which left him in a dark place. After knocking around for a bit he found a new career as a phlebotomist at Interstate Blood & Plasma, where he met the love of his life, Juli, who was donating plasma to help finance her college education. On June 9, 1990, they pledged their hearts to each other and set about building a new life together.

Juli’s parents split off part of their property to gift them a little meadow nestled between the hills outside Cross Plains. After a struggle with the County Board over zoning, they were finally able to set about building their dream house, a log home built with trees from Canada.

In 1994, Steve accepted a new job as a collection clerk with the Red Cross, traveling around the state for blood drives. After the devastating death of their niece from a drunken driver in 2002, Steve felt he needed a new start. Eventually he ended up at Catalent as a Biomanufacturing Support Associate, where he worked until health issues led to his early retirement in 2016.

Steve was a kind and generous soul, and deeply loved animals. Together Steve and Juli cared for 5 big dogs over the years and 7 cats, many of them rescues. Most of their Pyrenees came from the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Wisconsin, an organization dear to Steve’s heart. When their Pyr, Bella, was diagnosed with bone cancer they became involved with Puppy Up and then with Czar’s Promise, which funds local research into canine and pediatric cancer, and provides support to families facing a cancer diagnosis in their pets.

Steve started cooking after his mother’s early death from breast cancer. He wanted to make her recipes to remember her, and it became one of his great passions. His cranberry and white chocolate chip Final Four cookies, a recipe he created when the Badgers went to the Final Four in 2014, are a family favorite, as is the vegetarian lasagna he made every year for Juli’s family Christmas, and the ham he cooked for his own family’s Christmas. As his health issues slowly robbed him of his ability to cook over this past year, it was a heavy blow to Steve’s spirit.

Caring for their huge yard was another passion, and together they tended their big garden and canned as much of the produce as they could to share with family and friends. Their blackcap jam is a highly prized treasure for everyone who tastes it. Juli’s mom became addicted to their sweet pickle relish and made sure to let them know when she was running low.

Music was also one of Steve’s loves, and many happy hours were spent enjoying concerts at various venues around town, especially the Stoughton Opera House and Kiki’s House of Righteous Music. Steve treasured the friendships he made over the years at Kiki’s with some of the musicians who played there regularly, especially Jon Dee Graham of Austin, Texas, and his band the Fighting Cocks.

And of course he loved his Badgers and Packers and Brewers, and enjoyed razzing those of his friends and family who were Bears fans every time the Packers won.

Steve is survived by his wife, Juli; his sisters, Bonnie (Norm) Stamm, Karen (Bruce) Miller, and Chris (Dan) Wendt; sister-in-law, Madolyn (David) Rogers; and brother-in-law, Thomas Bowman. He is also survived by his nephews, Barry (Carrie) Stamm, Toby (De) Kubler, and Lucian Rogers; nieces, Sarah (Chris) Bassett and Erin Wendt; as well as his great-nephews, Rowan and Sawyer Stamm; and great-nieces, Zoe, Lilly and Izzy Bassett. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife’s parents, Bob and Grace Bowman; as well as his brother-in-law, Eric Bowman; and his niece, Aimee Stamm Kubler. He is further survived by their two cats, Neko and Shadow; and preceded in death by their dogs, Bear, Captain, Bella, Gracie, and Django; and their cats, Jinx, Snickers, Tupelo, Hondo, and Boo.

A memorial service is being planned for early summer, and Steve’s earthly remains will be scattered around the places he loved so much.

In Steve’s memory, donations can be made to The Great Pyrenees Rescue of Wisconsin, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (greatpyrrescuewi.com) and/or Czar’s Promise (www.czarspromise.com).

For those who do not wish to or are not able to donate, please consider performing a random act of kindness to honor Steve’s generous heart and spirit.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson West

Funeral & Cremation Care

7435 University Ave.

(608) 831-6761