Irvin Mardell Johnson Jr.

Irvin Mardell Johnson, Jr. age 74 of Des Moines, Iowa passed away suddenly on Saturday, July 27, 2024. A celebration of life is scheduled for September 1, 2024 from, 2:00 - 6:00 at the VFW Boline-Manfredi Post #9662 located at 1309 NE 66th Ave. in Des Moines, Iowa.

Irv was born on July 5, 1950 in Madison, South Dakota to Irvin Sr. and Joyce Darline (Webb) Johnson. Upon graduating Madison High School, he went on to study computers. He moved to Des Moines, Iowa where he worked for Sunset Beach Auto Salvage and Carroll Auto Wrecking. Retirement wasn’t for him and he took a part time job delivering for O’Reilly’s. He was passionate about his antique cars, sprint cars, and car shows. Irv and Jeanne showcased their cars every year at the Goodguys Car Show in Des Moines.

Irv loved to travel especially going on cruises with Jeanne and their friends. He was a history buff and loved to learn about the islands they were visiting. His other passion was fishing. Every May, he would head up to Bluffy Lake in Canada with his brother and a group of friends for their annual fishing trip. The group would then host a “fish fry” in September and share their haul with friends and family.

Car Wednesdays at Bennigans and Friday’s at the VFW is where you would usually find Irv and Jeanne enjoying time with friends.

Irv was a quiet man with a big heart. His passions were his cars, fishing and family most likely in that order.

He is survived by his wife, Jeanne; siblings, Judy Stapleton, Gary Johnson, Chuck (Linda) Johnson, and Marie Johnson; Brother-in-law Craig (Georgia) Ford; numerous nieces and nephews and many friends. Irv was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Janice.

Memorials may be directed to the VFW Post #9662 Boline-Manfredi in Des Moines, Iowa or to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa.