Mark Johnson Family Memorial Fund

****UPDATE (July 24th): There has been some confusion regarding the statement at the top GoFundMe site saying "62 days until the service September 24th, 2023." This date refers to the planned end date for the GoFundMe service, not the memoril service. The date for the memorial service for Mark is still Saturday, August 19th at Grace Crossing Bible Church in Estacada, Oregon.****

Dear Family and Friends,

We are devastated by the loss of our dear brother, husband, father, friend, brother-in-law, uncle, nephew, and cousin Mark. Mark Edward Johnson departed this earthly life on Sunday, 16 July 2023, surrounded by family and friends. We cannot comprehend how to fill the gap left by his sweet, loving, Christ-centered and generous presence in our lives. Mark’s joyous enthusiasm for life, love for his family, commitment to Christianity, musical knowledge, willingness to help others, and constant friendship will be forever missed. We all have so many beautiful memories of our time together with Mark, whether it be throwing the frisbee, making music, discussing a recent scientific discovery or the mysteries of the cosmos, playing bridge or chess, or any number of activities he loved. These memories will sustain us through this sorrowful time of loss.

The significant love and support you have provided throughout these past weeks have been invaluable to Ann and the family, and we are profoundly grateful. Another big way you can help is to donate to this campaign to help Mark’s wife, Ann, and their children; Nathaniel, Katharina and Gabrielle, with expenses they will encounter in the days and months ahead, such as funeral costs and ongoing expenses from the transition to a single income household. Anything you donate will be a tremendous blessing and will be put to immediate use, all funds will be transferred into Mark and Ann’s bank account for Ann to manage directly.

For those who haven’t heard the details, here is some additional information about Mark’s illness:

On Monday, 10 July 2023, five days after having successful knee replacement surgery, Mark inexplicably developed a bilateral pulmonary embolism followed by a massive stroke on the left side of the brain. While it is probable that blood clots formed as a result of the knee surgery, we will likely never know the true cause. Severe swelling in the brain affected both hemispheres and eventually shut down all vital functions in the brain stem. Consultations with Mark's medical team made it clear that Mark could not recover from this brain injury. 

With this knowledge and in alignment with Mark's wishes, organ donation was pursued and enacted. The family is comforted by knowing that Mark could donate kidneys and other life-giving tissues and contribute other organs to medical research at the Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland.

Any donation, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated. Please share this link with those who may want to help out and send their love to Ann, Nathaniel, Katharina and Gabrielle.

Please hold Mark and his family close in your hearts and pray that they find peace and comfort in the love of God and the unwavering support of their family and friends.

Thank you.